• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Umpirenews | Latest News, Politics, Breaking News, Nigeria and African history
Advertisement
  • National
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Columns
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Columns
No Result
View All Result
Umpirenews | Latest News, Politics, Breaking News, Nigeria and African history
No Result
View All Result

NMDPRA Clarifies: Dangote Refinery Not Yet Licensed

Vincent Amadi by Vincent Amadi
March 7, 2025
in Economy
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
NMDPRA Clarifies: Dangote Refinery Not Yet Licensed
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsappShare on EmailShare on Telegram


The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday said the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery is still in the commissioning stage and is yet to be licensed. NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer Farooq Ahmed disclosed this on Thursday in a briefing with State House correspondents.
Ahmed said the refinery’s claim that operations have been halted due to a shortage of crude oil supplies from international oil companies (IOCs) is false.
“Well, just like you rightly asked, there are lots of concerns about the supply of petroleum products nationwide and the claims by some media houses that we were trying to scuttle the Dangote refinery; that is not so.”
“Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licenced yet. We have not licensed them yet. I think they are at about 45 percent completion. So we can not rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop all importation of petroleum products, especially automotive gas oil (AGO) or jet kero, and direct all marketers to the refinery,” Mr Ahmed revealed.
He explained that such expectations are not good for the country’s energy security and also not good for the market because of the monopoly.


“So, in terms of quality, currently, the AGO quality in terms of sulphur is the lowest as far as West Africa’s requirement of 50 parts per million (ppm). Dangote refinery, as well as some major refineries like Waltersmith refinery, produce between 650 ppm to 1,200 ppm. So, in terms of quality, their quality is much more inferior to the imported quality,” he explained.
Last month, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) Vice President of Oil and Gas, Devakumar Edwin, accused Nigeria’s IOCs of doing everything they can to prevent the survival of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company.
He said the IOCs had deliberately thwarted refineries’ efforts to buy local crude oil by pushing markup prices higher than market prices, thereby forcing refineries to import crude oil from far-flung countries such as the United States, which is costly.
Speaking with a group of energy editors at a one-day training programme organized by the Dangote Group at the time, Edwin lamented the NMDPRA’s practice of indiscriminately issuing licences to those importing dirty refined products into the country. Reacting to the allegations, NMDPRA noted that it took seriously its legal obligations at the time to ensure that only quality petroleum products are supplied and consumed in Nigeria, saying dirty fuels would not be imported into Nigeria.
NMDPRA had in 2020 issued a statement requiring heads of state of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure that certain products contain at least 50 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur. On Wednesday, Edwin alleged that IOCs operating in Nigeria have consistently thwarted the company’s demand for locally produced crude oil as feedstock for its refining process.
Edwin’s reaction came against the backdrop of a statement by Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Komolafe, in a recent interview, said, “It is ‘erroneous’ for one to say that the IOCs are refusing to make crude oil available to domestic refiners, as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has a stipulation that calls for a willing buyer willing seller relationship.” He explained that IOCs prefer to sell crude oil to international trading companies who then resell it at a margin.
He stressed that cargoes offered by the trading arms of oil companies are sometimes $2 to $4 higher (per barrel) than the official price set by the NUPRC.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to set up a special committee to investigate the alleged conspiracy by IOCs against refineries.
The resolution follows a motion of urgent public importance filed by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) on Thursday.
Chinda in his application said the alleged conspiracy had undermined the refinery’s performance as opposed to full optimization.


“The alleged conspiracy against Dangote refinery relates to efforts by the IOCs to deliberately frustrate the refinery’s ability to buy local crude oil by manipulating and increasing the premium price above the market price,” he revealed.
Chinda added, “Whilst the IOCs are keen on exporting raw materials to their home countries and thus creating wealth and employment for their countries, thereby adding to their GDP, Nigeria continues to be a dumping ground for refined products, thus making us dependent on imported petroleum products.”
Therefore, the House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government, NUPRC, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA), and well-meaning Nigerians to support the success of the Dangote Refinery.
The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Oil Refinery began producing diesel and aviation fuel in January.
Announcing the start of production, the company said the refinery has received six million barrels of crude oil in two SPMs located 25 kilometers offshore.
The first shipment of crude oil will be delivered on December 12, 2023, while the sixth cargo was delivered on January 8.
The company has taken another step towards commencing production of refined petroleum products with the delivery of an additional one million barrels of Bonny Light crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC Ltd).
The company began supplying petroleum products to the local market in April. Mr Dangote said last month that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol refined at the refinery, would be launched by July.
NNPC Limited had previously announced plans to acquire a 20% stake in the refinery. But last Sunday, Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote said NNPC Ltd now only owns 7.2% of the refinery’s shares after the company defaulted on paying the balance of its stake that was due in June.
“The agreement was actually 20 percent, which we had with NNPC, and they did not pay the balance of the money up till last year, and then we gave them another extension up till June (2024), and they said that they would remain where they have already paid which is 7.2 percent. So NNPC, the government (sic) owns only 7.2 percent, not 20 percent,” Dangote was quoted as saying
NNPC Ltd confirmed the development in a statement, saying a periodic evaluation of its investment portfolio led to a reduction in its stake in the refinery.

Tags: businessnigeriannpc
Vincent Amadi

Vincent Amadi

Related Posts

FG will revive cocoa industry – Shettima
Economy

FG will revive cocoa industry – Shettima

2 days ago
Nigerian companys take priority over foreign businesses with “Nigeria First Policy” 
Economy

Tinubu seeks $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline investment

2 days ago
Development bank disbursed N1 trillion to MSMEs – MD
Economy

Development bank disbursed N1 trillion to MSMEs – MD

4 days ago
Becoming AfDB president greatest honour of my life – Adesina
Economy

Becoming AfDB president greatest honour of my life – Adesina

1 week ago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

NATIONS NEWS

Breaking News: Chief of Army Staff relocates to Benue to tackle insecurity
National

Breaking News: Chief of Army Staff relocates to Benue to tackle insecurity

13 hours ago
Tinubu Has Outperformed All Presidents Before Him- Felix Morka
National

Tinubu Has Outperformed All Presidents Before Him- Felix Morka

14 hours ago
Amaechi To Wike: You Worked Under Me; I Don’t Respond To Children.
National

Amaechi To Wike: You Worked Under Me; I Don’t Respond To Children.

14 hours ago
Tinubu can improve Nigeria’s security by 2027 – Ex Army Chief Buratai
National

Tinubu can improve Nigeria’s security by 2027 – Ex Army Chief Buratai

18 hours ago
NAFDAC closes four companies for counterfeiting rice
National

NAFDAC closes four companies for counterfeiting rice

19 hours ago
Insecurity: Tinubu working hard to restore peace, says Defence Minister
National

Insecurity: Tinubu working hard to restore peace, says Defence Minister

19 hours ago

POLITICS

More defections: Rep dumps PDP for APC, urges support for Gov Otu, Tinubu

More defections: Rep dumps PDP for APC, urges support for Gov Otu, Tinubu

5 days ago
PDP Crisis: BoT urges forgiveness, dialogue and unity

PDP Crisis: BoT urges forgiveness, dialogue and unity

1 week ago
Tinubu receiving performance based endorsement – Top APC Chieftain

Tinubu receiving performance based endorsement – Top APC Chieftain

1 week ago
​​Coalition Saga: Atiku Ignores Adeleke In Osun, Draws Battle Line With PDP Govs. 

​​Coalition Saga: Atiku Ignores Adeleke In Osun, Draws Battle Line With PDP Govs. 

1 week ago
Gov Adeleke’s defection rumours to APC gain traction as David visits Tinubu

Gov Adeleke’s defection rumours to APC gain traction as David visits Tinubu

1 week ago

2027: Atiku, PDP Mocks Tinubu’s Endorsements, Describes It As Fake

1 week ago

YOUR ECONOMY

FG will revive cocoa industry – Shettima
Economy

FG will revive cocoa industry – Shettima

2 days ago
Nigerian companys take priority over foreign businesses with “Nigeria First Policy” 
Economy

Tinubu seeks $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline investment

2 days ago
Development bank disbursed N1 trillion to MSMEs – MD
Economy

Development bank disbursed N1 trillion to MSMEs – MD

4 days ago
Becoming AfDB president greatest honour of my life – Adesina
Economy

Becoming AfDB president greatest honour of my life – Adesina

1 week ago
Dangote Refinery Drops Pump Prices Again with a Price Range between 875 and ₦905 Nationwide
Economy

Dangote Refinery Drops Pump Prices Again with a Price Range between 875 and ₦905 Nationwide

2 weeks ago
Fidelity Bankruptcy Scare: Banking sector is stable, says CBN
Economy

Fidelity Bankruptcy Scare: Banking sector is stable, says CBN

2 weeks ago

E & P

Breaking News: Hansi Flick interested in signing Ademola Lookman to Barcelona 
Sports

Breaking News: Hansi Flick interested in signing Ademola Lookman to Barcelona 

by Steven Atogi
13 hours ago
0

The African Player of the Year 2024, Ademola Lookman, is currently in the list of names suggested for summer signing...

Choosing Nigeria Over England, Best Career Decision I made – Lookman

Choosing Nigeria Over England, Best Career Decision I made – Lookman

14 hours ago
Three names to watch in the Premier league transfer window

Three names to watch in the Premier league transfer window

2 days ago
Bruno Fernandes rejects Al Hilal proposal

Bruno Fernandes rejects Al Hilal proposal

2 days ago
Barcelona’s Raphinha Wins the Champions League Golden Boot

Barcelona’s Raphinha Wins the Champions League Golden Boot

3 days ago
Is Achraf Hakimi Best African Player of the Year? Osimhen Proves a Contender

Is Achraf Hakimi Best African Player of the Year? Osimhen Proves a Contender

3 days ago

YOUR THOUGHT & HISTORY

ON THE PUBLIC NUISANCE CALLED SOWORE
Opinion

ON THE PUBLIC NUISANCE CALLED SOWORE

by Kiikpoye Karibo
3 months ago
Data Visualizations
Columns

Five Key Considerations for Creating Effective Data Visualizations

by Blessing Chinyere Daniel
5 months ago
The Transformative Power of AI in Revolutionizing Industries and Empowering Growth
Columns

The Transformative Power of AI in Revolutionizing Industries and Empowering Growth

by Blessing Chinyere Daniel
6 months ago
Navigating the Turbulent Terrain of Entrepreneurship: The Power of Tenacity, Growth Mind-set, and Grit
Columns

Navigating the Turbulent Terrain of Entrepreneurship: The Power of Tenacity, Growth Mind-set, and Grit

by Uloma Harrison-Ikenwanze
6 months ago
The Power of Data in Today’s World
Columns

The Power of Data in Today’s World

by Blessing Chinyere Daniel
6 months ago

Who we are

Umpirenews | Latest News, Politics, Breaking News, Nigeria and African history

Welcome to Umpire News, your go-to online newspaper dedicated to broadening perspectives and expanding the horizons of our numerous readers. Read more

Browse by Category

  • Columns
  • Economy
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • International
  • National
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports

Recent News

Breaking News: Hansi Flick interested in signing Ademola Lookman to Barcelona 

Breaking News: Hansi Flick interested in signing Ademola Lookman to Barcelona 

June 4, 2025
Breaking News: Chief of Army Staff relocates to Benue to tackle insecurity

Breaking News: Chief of Army Staff relocates to Benue to tackle insecurity

June 4, 2025
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Copyright Umpirenews. All rights reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Columns

© 2024 Copyright Umpirenews. All rights reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
🤑Join & Get Our Easter Gifts 🤑

Enter your NAME & Email NOW!!

Be among the 1st 100 lucky WINNERS to win our Amazing GIFTs this Easter Period as you READ our Daily hot NEWs & make meaningful comments and follow us on our social media handles.

Name
Enter your email address