The Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird, has revealed that the facility is receiving far fewer crude oil shipments than required for optimal operations.
Speaking during an interview, Bird said the refinery currently gets about five cargoes monthly, far below its designed capacity of 13 to 15 cargoes.
“Currently, we’re only getting five. So, that’s an underperformance against the pre-agreed volume contract,” he stated.
He also raised concerns about financial losses linked to the supply gap, noting: “That value between the purchase price and the premium we’re now seeing is money Nigeria is losing to the international trading community.”
On the crude-for-naira arrangement, Bird clarified that the policy is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economy rather than benefiting the refinery directly.
“It is in the country’s interest to process domestic crude in local currency,” he said.
Despite the supply challenges, he maintained that the refinery continues to operate at full capacity, serving both local and regional markets.
Meanwhile, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, recently visited the refinery complex in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, to strengthen collaboration.
Ojulari commended Aliko Dangote for delivering the project, describing it as a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s downstream sector and highlighting opportunities for deeper partnerships across the oil and gas value chain.