Face-off: Shareholders condemn demarketing of Dangote Refinery

Shareholders have strongly defended Africa’s foremost industrialist, Aliko Dangote over the on-going petroleum product supply controversies, while criticising the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, for deliberate attempt at demarketing Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals.

The shareholders under the aegis of Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN) in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Mrs. Bisi Bakare, expressed dismay over the recent allegations from the petroleum regulatory agency regarding the quality of diesel produced by Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

PSAN is the latest to join the growing list of Nigerians rallying support for Dangote in the ongoing standoff. Prominent figures and associations such as the President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina; billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola; federal lawmakers; former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; former Anambra state governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA); and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria have all voiced their support for Dangote Refinery.

The NMDPRA boss Farouk Ahmed has faced the backlash after suggesting that the diesel produced by the $20 billion Dangote refinery is of inferior quality compared to imports into the country.

Bakare commended Dangote for his visionary approach in establishing one of the world’s largest refineries in Nigeria. She highlighted Dangote’s commitment to national development, stressing his patriotism and resolute character through substantial investments like the refinery.