By By Elizabeth Ugbo
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery processed 661,000 barrels of crude oil per day during a recent interview with Nicolai Tangen.
Dangote disclosed the achievement while discussing refinery operations, crude sourcing, and Nigeria’s fuel market reforms. He explained that the refinery now operates above its nameplate capacity and continues to expand output despite opposition from fuel import stakeholders.
“The refinery has been tested. We have now processed crude at 661,000 barrels a day,” Dangote said.
He added that the refinery consistently operates above 650,000 barrels daily. According to him, the performance has boosted investor confidence in the project.
Dangote Refinery Expands Crude Supply Sources
Dangote stated that the refinery currently sources about 56 percent of its crude oil from Nigeria. However, the company also imports crude from Angola, Libya, and the United States.
He explained that the refinery previously imported up to eight cargoes of West Texas Intermediate crude from the US. Nevertheless, Nigeria now supplies a larger share of the refinery’s needs.
“We have to buy 21 cargoes every month. That’s how big we are,” he said.
Dangote also disclosed plans to increase refining capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day within the next 30 months.
According to him, the expansion will make the facility one of the world’s largest refineries.
Dangote Speaks on ‘Mafia’ Resistance
Meanwhile, Dangote accused certain groups of resisting the refinery’s operations because they benefited from Nigeria’s former fuel subsidy regime.
He described the groups as a “Mafia” that profited from fuel imports, subsidy payments, and product allocations.
According to him, Nigeria previously spent nearly $10 billion yearly on fuel subsidies. He argued that several traders, shippers, and marketers earned huge profits from the arrangement.
Dangote claimed the refinery disrupted those interests by reducing dependence on imported petroleum products.
Dangote Refinery Files Fresh Lawsuit Over Petrol Imports
In a related development, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has filed a fresh lawsuit against the Nigerian government over petrol import licences.
Court documents show that the refinery is challenging permits issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to fuel marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The case seeks to overturn import approvals granted to several oil traders.
The regulator recently issued licences for the importation of 720,000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit.
Marketers Receive Import Allocations
Breakdown of the allocations shows:
- NIPCO — 120,000MT
- AA Rano — 150,000MT
- Matrix — 150,000MT
- Shafa — 120,000MT
- Pinnacle — 120,000MT
- Bono — 60,000MT
The total approved volume stands at 720,000 metric tonnes.
An official of the regulatory authority confirmed that the licences were validly issued.
However, Dangote Refinery argued that the approvals violate Nigerian laws because domestic supply remains sufficient.
The company also claimed the licences breached an earlier court order directing parties to maintain the status quo.
Regulators Defend Petrol Import Licences
On the other hand, regulators and fuel marketers insisted that imports remain necessary to avoid shortages across the country.
The NMDPRA recently stated that Dangote Refinery already supplies more than 90 percent of Nigeria’s daily petrol demand. Despite that figure, the agency maintained that imports still complement local production.
It would be recalled that Dangote Refinery withdrew a similar lawsuit in 2025 after the Federal Government intervened.
Dangote has repeatedly urged authorities to stop issuing fuel import licences while his refinery maintains large petrol reserves.
