By Ayodele Johnson

Now, there is clarity with regards to a timeline that shows when Dangote Refinery can begin the production of petrol for Nigerian households and businesses.

Dangote Group Executive Director, Mr Devakumar Edwin has set a November 30 date for when this will happen. He shared this in an exclusive interview with the American analytics company, S&P Global, although a few deadlines had initially been announced prior to this moment.

What needs to happen now is to receive a shipment of crude oil, and then production shall begin.

Mr Edwin in the chat was forthcoming about his company’s readiness “to receive crude”. He said: “We are just waiting for the first vessel. And so as soon as it comes in we can start.”

Before reaching the November date, other types of crude oil processing would have started. Such as the production of 350,000-370,000 b/d of diesel and jet fuel by October, according to S&P Global. If everything works out as planned, it would bring relief to Nigerians who have high hopes for Dangote Refinery.

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Since President Bola Tinubu stopped the payment of petrol subsidies in late May, all aspects of living have been affected. That includes high food costs and transportation. Many have wondered why production at the newly inaugurated refinery was taking too long.

ALSO READ: Fast-rising cooking gas prices adding more stress to households

As expected, there is an explanation for why the initial promise of a July-August production date failed to materialise. It ties to a recent commitment by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which is to supply Dangote Refinery with crude oil.

Confirming this to S&P, Mr Edwin revealed that, “At the last minute [NNPC] said, ‘We have actually committed our crude on forward basis to someone else,’ so immediately they don’t have the crude.”

There is extremely good news for all Nigerians as soon as this is sorted out by November. By then, the NNPCL would have started to deliver much-needed crude oil to the refinery, which will help to “meet 100 percent of the requirement of the country”, based on the exec’s comment in the interview.

It would only take 50 percent of production at the refinery to achieve that, while leftovers will be exported, including to other sub-Saharan African countries and Europe. The aftermath of this is unprecedented Forex coming into Africa’s biggest economy.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.