Relief may soon come the way of thousands of Nigerians queuing at filling stations in search of scarce petrol as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has mobilised over 100 trucks to the Dangote Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki ahead of the refinery’s inaugural petrol loading operation on Sunday.
According to the state oil company, this large-scale logistical deployment underscores NNPC’s crucial role in distributing locally refined petrol, as the country moves closer to achieving energy independence.
A tweet on NNPC’s X social media page on Saturday read, “In preparation for the Dangote Refinery’s scheduled petrol loading on Sunday, September 15, 2024, NNPC Ltd. has been mobilising trucks to the refinery’s fuel loading gantry in Ibeju-Lekki.
“As of Saturday afternoon, NNPC Ltd. had deployed over 100 trucks, with hundreds more en route.”
This development it continued, highlights the readiness of both NNPC Ltd. and Dangote Refinery to meet Nigeria’s petrol demand through local production, reducing the country’s reliance on imported fuel.
This move comes after months of preparation, as the refinery gears up to refine up to 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, a transformative step for Nigeria’s oil sector.
The refinery’s first petrol loading is seen as a major milestone, with stakeholders anticipating economic growth and job creation as a result of local fuel production. This collaboration between NNPC and the Dangote Refinery is expected to significantly reduce foreign exchange losses from fuel imports while ensuring a steady fuel supply nationwide.
The deployment of trucks comes on the heels of Dangote now accepting to sell petrol from his 650,000 barrels per day refinery in Nigeria’s local currency, the Naira, as part of the agreements reached with the NNPC.
Vice President, Oil and Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, disclosed this during an X Space event.
He also revealed that the NNPC has informed the management of Dangote Group of its intention to station a team of six to 10 people permanently at the $20 billion refinery.
Edwin said NNPC told the management of the refinery that the team would be overseeing the production and buying back the products in Naira since the national oil company would be supplying the crude.
He added that the request aligns with the NNPC’s aim to closely monitor the entire process, ensuring consistent crude supply and efficient processing while securing a steady flow of petrol for the country.
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