A document seems to have validated Aliko Dangote’s claims regarding the quality of fuel produced by the Dangote Refinery.

On July 18, Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), stated that local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing substandard products compared to imports.

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has disputed this claim, asserting that the petroleum products from his refinery meet the required standards and have been validated through testing at the refinery’s laboratories.

He stressed that the refinery’s in-house laboratory has the approval to carry out such a test, which can be done in a few minutes.

A letter reviewed by THISDAY revealed that the NMDPRA approved the Dangote refinery in-house laboratory to test crude oil products.

In the letter dated March 28, 2024, NMDPRA said that the facility meets the necessary standards for equipment and personnel required to conduct in-house Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) for petroleum and its products.

Part of the letter reads: “Reference is made to the inspection exercises carried out on your laboratory facility by the officers of the Authority on 19 October 2023, 19 December 2023 & 1 9— 22 March 2024 respectively.

“The report of the inspections revealed that your laboratory has satisfied the minimum requirement in terms of equipment and personnel to render an in-house Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) of petroleum/petroleum products.

“Consequently, an interim accreditation (Phase l) is granted to your laboratory on the condition that the accreditation covers analyses of Crude Oil, LPG, Naphtha, Gasoline, HHK/ATF, and AGO only) handled/produced in your refinery."