Dangote Refinery’s newly acquired Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks have begun loading petroleum products at the facility for direct supply to filling stations nationwide.
The trucks began loading fuel at the refinery’s gantry outside Lagos on Sept. 15 after a successful trial run, the company’s spokesman said.
This comes despite mounting criticism from industry unions and marketers.
Lat week, the refinery revealed it would begin the direct supply of free petrol across the country on September 15. It described the gesture as part of its commitment to easing the burden on Nigerians. The announcement, however, was met with swift opposition.
Though the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) dismissed the initiative as a “Greek gift,” the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) argued that the claim of “free delivery” was misleading, insisting that marketers were required to lift at least 25 percent of their allocations directly from the refinery gantry.
But the refinery accused some actors of waging an orchestrated campaign of sabotage against its operations.
“From the outset, it has been evident that certain actors are intent on undermining the operations of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, particularly the planned deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for the distribution of fuel,” the company said in an advertorial published on Sunday.
It described the CNG-powered trucks as a “transformative step towards Nigeria’s long-sought goal of energy self-sufficiency,” adding that the resistance to the project was being fuelled by vested interests threatened by progress.
The refinery also countered DAPPMAN’s claims on product quality, recalling a 2022 incident in which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) confirmed that one of DAPPMAN’s members had supplied petrol containing over 15 percent methanol, a practice the refinery called “unsafe and questionable.”
“The result was widespread engine damage for thousands of end users. Yet, no transparent government inquiry or independent investigation was ever conducted to determine the source, intent, or full impact of the adulterated fuel,” the refinery stated.
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