Nigeria’s continued importation of petrol, despite the operational status of the Dangote Refinery, should not be seen as unusual, according to oil and gas expert, Bode Sowunmi.
Sowunmi said import levels are expected to decrease progressively as the refinery and other local projects reach full production capacity.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Thursday, Sowunmi cautioned against misinterpretation of recent importation figures circulating in the media.
According to him, “I used to work in market research, and there’s an axiom that says: there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
“Sometimes statistics can be skewed in a way that doesn’t quite present the facts.
”The data being quoted, which came from the NMDPRA’s presentation to the National Assembly, actually covers about 18 months, not one year as reported. So the numbers are not a true per-annum reflection, ” he added.
Sowunmi noted that although the Dangote Refinery boasted a production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, saying that it is currently operating at approximately 70 per cent capacity.
“That’s already significant, as Dangote produces nearly 27 per cent of Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption,” he said, adding that ongoing imports were standard even in nations with major refining capabilities.
“It is normal that even in every nation in the world, including the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, there’s still some amount of importation.
In fact, Dangote Refinery itself exported petrol to the U.S. recently. So the fact that we are still importing is not abnormal,” he said.
The expert also pointed out that Nigeria’s petrol imports have steadily declined since the Dangote Refinery began operations.
“We import based on what we need. If we can produce all that’s required locally, importation will drop to a minimum.
Importation has consistently reduced since Dangote came on board — that’s a fact,” Sowunmi said.
Explaining why the refinery has yet to meet total domestic demand, Sowunmi highlighted capacity limitations and feedstock availability as the main constraints.
His words: “Dangote can only supply what it can produce. It’s not as if there is production and people are refusing to buy.
”The local demand is simply higher than what Dangote can currently meet,” he said.
He noted that achieving near-total reliance on local production would require time and additional refining capacity from projects such as the Port Harcourt, BUA, and Adibutu refineries.
“These projects take time and huge investment. It’s not something that happens overnight; it’s infrastructure, not pepper we’re selling,” Sowunmi said.
On the state-owned refineries, he called for proper audits to determine the causes of their underperformance.
“We can’t just write off the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries.
”There must be a proper audit to find out whether the problems are sabotage, corruption, or incompetence.
”These refineries have worked before and can work again. We just need to get to the root of why they’re not producing,” he added.
