Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has refuted allegations that petroleum products from his refinery are substandard. He addressed these claims on Saturday during a visit from the leadership of the House of Representatives at the Dangote Refinery located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.
The delegation, led by House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, included Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere and other representatives. During the visit, Dangote and his team conducted tests to demonstrate the quality of their products.
In the presence of the lawmakers, diesel samples were collected from two filling stations and compared with diesel produced at the Dangote Refinery. Two key tests were conducted: a sulphur level test and a flash point test. High levels of sulphur can damage engines, while the flash point measures the temperature at which vapors ignite.
Results showed that diesel from other stations had sulphur content levels of 2,631 ppm and 1,829 ppm, far exceeding recommended levels. Their flash point results were 26 and 63, both below the minimum recommended level of 66. In contrast, diesel from the Dangote Refinery had a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm and a flash point of 96.
Dangote highlighted that these results reveal not only the quality of his refinery’s products but also that substandard petroleum products are being imported and sold in Nigeria. Addressing Speaker Abbas, he said, “The most important thing, Your Excellency, is to note that the imported ones they are encouraging do not meet the spec in test. When checked independently, different results will show because those people who have the lab have been told what to write.”
Speaker Abbas acknowledged the conflicting claims and emphasized the need for an investigation. “I don’t know how we have this contradiction of two players representing the public and private sectors,” he said. “I think it is something we need to investigate further to find out if there are ulterior motives.”
News Editor 
Hyelsinta Hassan