Dangote Industries Limited has accused International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria of plotting against the survival of its oil refinery and petrochemicals.

The Vice President, Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin made the accusation while speaking with Energy Editors at a one-day training programme, organised by the Dangote Group in Lagos.

Edwin said the IOCs are deliberately and wilfully frustrating the refinery’s efforts to buy local crude by jerking up the high premium price above the market price, thereby forcing it to import crude from countries as far as the United States, with its attendant high costs.

He made this known while speaking to a group of Energy Editors at a one-day training programme, organised by the Dangote Group.

Edwin also lamented the activity of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), in granting licenses, indiscriminately to marketers to import dirty refined products into the country.

“The Federal Government issued 25 licences to build refinery and we are the only one that delivered on promise. In effect, we deserve every support from the Government,” Edwin said.

“It is good to note that from the start of production, more than 3.5 billion litres, which represents 90 per cent of our production, have been exported. We are calling on the Federal Government and regulators to give us the necessary support in order to create jobs and prosperity for the nation.”

He emphasised that while the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) are trying their best to allocate the crude for us, the IOCs are deliberately and willfully frustrating our efforts to buy the local crude.

Recently, NUPRC met with crude oil producers as well as refineries owners in Nigeria, in a bid to ensure full adherence to Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligations (DCSO), as enunciated under section 109(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Edwin said recent interactions with the IOCs suggests that there is an objective to ensure that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery fails.

“It is either they are deliberately asking for ridiculous/humongous premium or, they simply state that crude is not available,” Edwin said.

“At some point, we paid $6 over and above the market price. This has forced us to reduce our output as well as import crude from countries as far as the US, increasing our cost of production.

“It appears that the objective of the IOCs is to ensure that Nigeria remains a country which exports Crude Oil and imports refined Petroleum Products.

“They (IOCs) are keen on exporting the raw materials to their home countries, creating employment and wealth for their countries, adding to their GDP, and dumping the expensive refined products into Nigeria – thus making us to be dependent on imported products.

“It is the same strategy the multinationals have been adopting in every commodity, making Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa to be facing unemployment and poverty, while they create wealth for themselves at our expense. This is exploitation – pure and simple. Unfortunately, the country is also playing into their hands by continuing to issue import licences, at the expense of our economy and at the cost of the health of the Nigerians who are exposed to carcinogenic products.”