By Ken Afor
Femi Otedola, Nigerian billionaire entrepreneur, in his congratulatory message to his close friend and the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, on the initiation of his $20 billion refinery project has highlighted the various prospects of the refinery which kicked off production a few days ago.
In a statement shared on his personal X account on Sunday, Otedola while expressing his admiration for the refinery and other ventures undertaken by the Group emphasized that these projects serve as a testament to the exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence displayed by one of Africa’s most remarkable and determined patriots.
“I heartily congratulate my bestie Aliko Dangote as the 8th Wonder of the World – the $20 billion (twenty billion Dollars) Dangote Group Refinery – officially commences production.
“The Dangote Petrochemical Complex, which consists of the world’s largest single-train 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery, a 1 million metric tonnes of Polypropylene per-annum facility, and two of the world’s largest Fertilizer Trains – with a capacity of producing 3 Million Tonnes of Urea – is much more than just an industrial milestone; it’s a testament to the visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence of one of Africa’s finest and most dogged patriots,” he said.
The Chairman of Forte Oil expressed his knowledge of Dangote’s endeavors in achieving the project and emphasized that the refinery serves as a symbol of optimism for both Nigerians and the African continent.
He added; “I had a front-row seat as this vision was conceptualized and took shape. And I am familiar with the sleepless nights you’ve had to work through over the last decade to bring this dream to fruition.
“This refinery is a beacon of hope for millions of Nigerians and Africans. It is also at the vanguard of championing environmental sustainability. With its Carbon capture technologies and storage processes it will capture up to 90%+ of the CO2 emitted and also play a significant role in reducing Well-to-tank carbon emissions from crude oil maritime transportation, thereby playing its own role in helping Nigeria meet its target for net-zero emissions by 2060.
“The refinery recircles 100% of its water. The heat coming out of the process is fully captured to produce 50MW of Power. Dangote is also producing Euro 5 to replace the bad Euro 5 that has been dumped in Africa for a long time. Shipping 65,000 barrels per day of crude out of Nigeria and 650kbpd in refined products to Nigeria and nearby countries which is 480 ships of 1m barrels per day will save 1.5m to 2.5m tons of CO2 emissions. This will help the environment.
“By meeting our requirements for all refined petroleum products, it will champion energy security and independence for our nation and act as a catalyst for a new era of prosperity for the subcontinent. It promises economic transformation for Nigerians today and for generations to come.
“Congratulations, Aliko Dangote . Africa is proud of you! …F.Ote💲”
It would be recalled that on Friday, the Dangote Oil Refining Company announced that its facility has successfully received its first shipment of one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from the Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO).
This trails a notice from Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Group, who on Thursday made public that the refinery would commence operations by processing 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil.
The $19 billion oil refinery is situated on a 6,180 acres (2,500 hectares) site at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lekki, Lagos State.
It was inaugurated by the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari on May 22, 2023.
