A coalition of 28 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has announced plans to establish a situation room to monitor the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPC Ltd) compliance with the presidential directive to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in Naira.
The CSOs made this decision after a facility tour of the 650,000 bpd Dangote Refinery in Lagos, which they described as a world-class facility.
Solomon Adodo, speaking on behalf of the CSOs, expressed shock at the government’s reluctance to support the refinery, saying, “Having gone round to see this world-class project, we are at a loss as to why the government could decide to turn against Nigerians in this manner… We are ready to defend this facility with everything as civil society organizations.”
The CSOs plan to petition the Presidency to adopt Dangote Refinery as a national asset and ensure its products are available at petrol stations. They also vowed to expose anyone sabotaging the presidential directive, with Adodo saying, “We will write the American Society of Engineers over this and the European Union. We will maintain eternal vigilance.”
Devakumar Edwin, Vice-President of Dangote Industries Limited, welcomed the CSOs and described the refinery as a value-adding facility that would stop the exportation of Nigeria’s crude and importation of finished products. He wondered why the government would be against such a vision for Nigeria, saying, “This is what Dangote refinery seeks to correct… We did same in Cement and Sugar sectors, and Nigeria now exports cement to other countries.”
Edwin also emphasized that Dangote Refinery did not ask for favors, only the opportunity to buy crude to produce, and that the company would continue to focus on adding value to the Nigerian economy through investments and job creation.
