The crisis rocking Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is far from over as Dangote Refinery said it is yet to receive 26 million barrels of crude allocation facilitated by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.
The spokesperson of Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
The statement was reacting to NUPRC’s claim that it facilitated 26 million barrels of crude oil allocation to Dangote Refinery in the first quarter of 2024.
NUPRC also announced a plan to review its Domestic Crude Supply Obligation Regulations 2023.
However, Dangote Refinery said it is yet to receive the crude allocation.
“We would like to thank them for this allocation but at the same time let them know that we are yet to receive these cargoes.”
According to Dangote Refinery, NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer.
“Aside from the term supply we bilaterally negotiated with NNPC, so far NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer. The rest of the cargoes we have processed were purchased from international traders,” Dangote Refinery stated.
The company further urged NUPRC to facilitate the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act which accounted for domestic crude obligation.
“All we are asking for is for refineries in Nigeria to buy crude directly from the companies that produce it in Nigeria rather than from international middlemen. This is specified in the PIA,” the company added.
recalls that Aliko Dangote, the President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, had accused NUPRC of reluctance to implement domestic supply obligations by International Oil Companies and other refiners in Nigeria.
The feud between Dangote Refinery and NUPRC is a testament that all is not well with the country’s oil and gas sector despite President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive to Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to sell crude to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in Naira.
The directive is yet to be implemented.
