Nigeria will not import refined petroleum products from June next year, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said yesterday.
The firm said fuel importation will stop, following the anticipated completion of the Dangote Refinery and the ongoing maintenance of the nation’s refineries.
NNPC also explained that it has shut down some of its pipelines due to high production costs, fire and vandalism.
According to the firm, one of its pipelines had 295 illegal connections within a 200-metre range, adding that “some pipelines and products were found in churches and mosques.”
The company disclosed that some highly placed individuals were among 122 arrested for oil theft.
Its Managing Director, Mele Kyari, stated these during the weekly ministerial briefing hosted by the Presidential Communication Team in Abuja, yesterday.
Kyari said Nigeria would rely solely on its refineries and the Dangote Refinery, which is expected to be completed on or before June 2023.
He said: “NNPC owns 20 percent equity in the Dangote Refinery. We’re not only owning 20 percent equity, we also have the first right of refusal to supply crude oil to that plant
“Projection (for the plant’s completion) is the first quarter of next year, but we think that it can come up latest by the middle of next year. If it does, this refinery alone, because it has a 650,000 per barrel capacity and different technology, can crack crude in a manner that you can have more gasoline than a typical refinery.
“That means that the refinery has the ability to produce up to 50 million litres of PMS (Petroleum Motor Spirit). So, the combination of that and our own ability to bring back our refinery will completely eliminate any potential petroleum importation in this country next year. You will not see any importation next year.
“When we’re done with our refineries and the Dangote Refinery, the modular and condenser refineries that we are building will go a long way.
“You will see that this country will become a net exporter of PMS not just to the West African sub-region but to the rest of the world. This will happen, the flow of supply will change – by the middle of next year.”
Kyari said the management of NNPC Limited was building a national reserve facility.
On the shutdown of some pipelines, he said: “From Warri to Benin, we haven’t operated that line for 15 years. Every molecule of product that we put gets lost. Remember the sad incident of fire very close to Warri, close to Sapele that killed so many people?
“You remember that of Lagos area also? When a fire outbreak happened in one of our pipelines, we discovered that some of the pipelines were actually connected to individuals’ homes. Not only that, and with all sensitivity to our religious beliefs, some of the pipelines and products that we found were actually in churches and mosques.
“That means that everybody is involved. There is no way anyone will bring in trucks in populated neighborhoods, load products, and leave without neighbours knowing.”
He also said that 122 persons, including highly-placed individuals, were arrested while 30-speed boats, 179 wooden boats, and 37 trucks were impounded between April and August this year.
Kyari added that 739 ovens used for the illegal crude oil theft, 344 reservoirs, and 355 cooking pots were discovered.
