President Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday, May 22 commission the 650,000 BPD Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals alongside his counterparts from Ghana, Togo, Senegal, Niger, and Chad in Lagos state, Southwest Nigeria.
The Dangote Group made the announcement via its Twitter handle saying that the refinery will be churning out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), diesel (AGO), aviation jet fuel and Dual-Purpose Kerosene (DPK), among other refined products.
The petroleum refinery with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) is sitting on 2,635 hectares of land located in Dangote Industries Free Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, and will provide employment to over 100,000 persons.
The coming on stream of the gigantic project is expected to mark Nigeria’s exit from the league of oil rich nations which are heavy importers of the petroleum products.
Expected at the historic event apart from international dignitaries are Presidents of Togo, Gnassingbé Eyadéma; Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo; President of Senegal, Macky Sall; President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, President of Chad, Mahamat Déby and a host of ambassadors; President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who will not be physically present, will however present his goodwill message virtually.
All the 36 state governors and most of the governors-elect, ministers, senators, and captains of industries in Nigeria and others from outside the country, global oil traders, top international bankers, international multilateral agencies have indicated their readiness to grace the ceremony.
Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose administration as the governor of Lagos in 2002 floated the Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki where the Refinery is located, is expected to be at the event.