Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has vehemently denied online reports questioning the quality of its refined diesel, stating that its product is 80% superior to imported diesel.
Gatekeepers News reports that the company’s spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, described the allegations as “mischievous” and aimed at tarnishing its reputation.
The rebuttal comes after claims made by Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), that local refineries, including Dangote’s, produce inferior products compared to imports.
Dangote Industries emphasised that its refinery is designed to produce top-quality petroleum products that meet strict international standards.
“The false and misleading allegations made by some media outlets that the Dangote Refinery is producing substandard diesel which is why it reduced the price by 37%, is baseless and mischievous.
“Until late last year, diesel imports into Nigeria were up to 7,000 parts per million (ppm) of Sulphur which has been going on for many years. Our diesel is produced currently at significantly lower levels of Sulphur; as such, we find baseless the allegation that the reason for the reduction is linked to quality. What we are producing is 80% of what is being imported into the country.
“Another inaccurate assertion is that Medium Level Sulphur diesel is meant for off-road use. This is a completely false statement as this would have invariably meant that all the imports for the last 20 years have been damaging equipment.
“Thirdly, diesel imports for the high Sulphur grade have been at significantly higher prices until we started operation. If indeed high Sulphur diesel is sold at lower prices how come we never saw the lower prices until now?” the spokesperson said.
Chiejina attributed the recent price reduction of Dangote diesel to the company’s patriotism and response to market dynamics, rather than any quality issues.
The company stands by the quality of its products and rejects the false and baseless allegations made against it.
