The President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has called on the Federal Government to end fuel subsidies completely, saying that it would help determine the actual petrol consumption in the country.
Dangote, who also confirmed his ownership of two oil blocks in the upstream sector with an expected production date of next month, stated that fuel production from his $20bn 650,000 barrels of crude per day mega refinery in Lagos will help ease pressures on the Naira.
Dangote, who spoke in a 26-minute interview with Bloomberg Television in New York on Monday, said that now is the right time to end fuel subsidies.
The top businessman, who is Africa’s wealthiest man, noted that ending petrol imports will have a huge upside in easing currency pressures, stating: “Subsidy is a very sensitive issue. Once you are subsidising something then people will bloat the price and then the government will end up paying what they are not supposed to be paying. It is the right time to get rid of subsidies.”
“But this refinery will resolve a lot of issues out there, you know, it will show the real consumption of Nigeria, because, you know, nobody can tell you. Some people say 60 million litres of gasoline per day.
“Some say, it’s less. But right now, if you look at it by us producing, everything can be counted. So everything can be accounted for, particularly for most of the trucks or ships that will come to load from us. We are going to put a tracker on them to be sure they are going to take the oil within Nigeria, and that, I think, can help the government save quite a lot of money. I think it is the right time, you know, to remove the subsidy.”
Dangote who recalled the challenges faced after the project’s launch in 2013, experiencing a five-year delay due to issues with State government and host communities and a running loan of $2.4bn, said he is personally proud to achieve the feat.
On whether the subsidy will make the refinery viable, Dangote said: “Well, you see, we have a choice of either one. We produce, we export, and when we produce, we sell locally. But we are a big private company. And yes, it’s true, we have to make a profit. We build something worth $20bn so definitely we have to make money.
“The removal of subsidies is totally dependent on the government, not on us. We cannot change the price, but I think the government will have to give up something for something. So I think at the end of the day, this subsidy will have to go.”
President Bola Tinubu removed the subsidy when he took office in May 2023, exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis that sparked protests, but quickly reinstated it as inflation spiked.
Another step to ending it was taken in early September when the gasoline cap was eased — though the price remains below the market level.
Nigeria, until Dangote’s refinery came on stream was fully dependent on imported petroleum products, and has been taking tentative moves to finally end the nation’s pricey fuel subsidies, which in 2022 cost $10bn.
Dangote, who has the option of either exporting his fuel or selling it domestically, said the decision on subsidies was the government’s, but added that ending gasoline imports will have a huge upside in easing currency pressures.
The naira has lost around 70 per cent of its value against the dollar since rules that pegged the currency at an artificially high level were relaxed last year.
But the scarcity of the dollar in the Nigerian foreign exchange market continues to weigh on the Naira and is made worse by the need to pay for imported gasoline in dollars.
“Petroleum products consume about 40 per cent of our foreign exchange,” Dangote said, adding that fuel from his refinery, which started supplying gasoline on Sept. 15 to the state-owned oil company for domestic sale, “can actually stabilize the Naira.”
Continuing in the interview, the businessman revealed the details of the pricing disagreement that occurred with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
He said the national oil company bought its current stock from the refinery at a cheaper price than its imported fuel but gave a uniform price for all products.
“There wasn’t really a disagreement, per se. NNPC bought from us on the 15th of September at the international price, which they also bought, about 800,000 metric tons of gasoline imported. So the one that they bought from us actually is cheaper than the one they are importing.
“And so when they announced our price, the guy, I don’t know whether he was authorized. It wasn’t really the real price. What they have announced is most likely that is what it cost them, including profit and other expenses.
“And then the other one is one that they imported. But the people don’t know how much they spend in terms of imports, but their importation is almost, maybe about 15 per cent more expensive than ours, you know.
“So what they are supposed to do is to sell at a basket price, or if they want to remove subsidy, they can announce that they will remove subsidy, which is okay, everybody you know will adjust it.”
On the planned crude oil sales anticipated to begin in October, Dangote said that discussions are still ongoing and a detailed agreement will be finalised this week.
Revealing details of the deal, he explained, “We will sell the crude in naira after we have bought in naira. So now we are currently working out with the committee that the exchange rate is going to be priced. It is going to be normal pricing, you know, if crude is at $80, we will pay that price at an agreed exchange rate.
“And then we will also sell in the domestic market. What that will do is that it’s going to remove 40 per cent pressure on the naira. So because, see, the petroleum products consume about 40 per cent of foreign exchange, so you know, and then, you know, it’s like you have 40 per cent of demand been taken out so that can actually stabilize the naira and even if they subsidise, they would know what they are paying for.
“The deal is to give the government something that they want. It’s also a win-win situation for all and it would benefit the country.
“Currently, discussions are still ongoing to determine the details of the agreement. They are working out something that I think would be a win-win between us and the NNPCL.
“The agreement is very robust. Well, first of all, we would have energy security where they will give us crude. For example, in October, they’re going to give us 12 million barrels, which is on average, about 390,000 barrels a day, which will sell both gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel.”
First published in The PUNCH