Does it mean the old brownish visual texture that imported petrol or diesel used to have isn’t the best Nigerians filling litres of it into their vehicles all these while should be getting? The chief executive officer of the Dangote Group has confirmed that the vodka-like variant coming out of his refinery is the authentic one compared to what the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited brings into the country.

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On Tuesday, 3 September 2024, Mr Aliko Dangote hosted a press briefing at the Lekki Free Trade Zone refinery to announce the commencement of PMS production. Before this announcement, the plant had endured several postponements concerning when his privately refined petrol would be available to the eager market mostly because he could not access crude oil.

This is the sample of the petrol. You see it as a different colour, but that is the real deal, says the CEO brandishing a clear bottle of fuel held in his palm. It is an obvious contrast when placed side-by-side with the former imports from Malta, one of the destinations where the NNPCL reportedly gets its supplies.

You are now going to have a good and genuine product. I am sure Nigerians have not seen this colour of diesel before. This is called Euro 5 diesel. It contains less than 10 parts per million of sulphur. This will help vehicles, engines, and generators last longer. The health of the people and the environment will not be compromised.

Despite the relief of having locally produced PMS in the country, there is anger still. There has been frustration because of the lingering filling station queues, which has shot up the price of the commodity.

Amid the difficulties, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited opened up about the main issue on its plate that has been giving rise to fuel scarcity. This has to do with a US$6.8billion debt owed to foreign suppliers who could no longer guarantee deliveries based on their old pattern of doing business.

More annoyance from the public came yesterday, the day Dangote announced the start of PMS production. It came because the cost of fuel per litre had gone up to ₦855 from an average of ₦600, which was considered way too high.

With the local PMS production that has just started, there is a belief at the Dangote refining company that nobody will beat us in terms of quality. This statement is particularly significant because, at a time in July when diesel from the plant had just started to newly enter the market, Aliko Dangote, its owner was being weighed down by comments by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency’s (NMDPRA) Farouk Ahmed.

According to the NMDRA’s chief executive officer, the Dangote refinery and some modular refineries, like Waltersmith refinery and Aradel refinery, are producing between 650 to 1,200ppm (parts per million). So, in terms of quality, their product is much inferior to the imported quality.

But a rebuttal by Mr Dangote afterwards rejected this claim by the regulator. Samples collected from two separate filling stations in Lagos were measured against the one produced in his plant and the result countered earlier claims.

The goal was to reach a lower contamination of 10ppm by August. On Arise TV yesterday, the billionaire owner of the refinery said that his diesel has achieved the Euro 5 standard, which is less than 10 parts per million (10ppm) of sulphur content.

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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.