The Business NG - August 19, 2024

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Nigeria's four national refineries, even at full capacity, can only produce about 20 million liters of petrol daily, which is only enough to meet 50% of the country's daily demand, according to energy expert Daniel Kunle. This means that the country's refineries are not capable of making Nigeria energy sufficient, even when they are all working.

Kunle, a former technical adviser to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, made this statement during an interview on Channels Television's "Politics Today". He noted that the four government refineries, located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna, have a combined production capacity of 20 million liters of petrol per day, which is less than half of the country's daily demand of 40 million liters.

"This is a serious challenge for Nigeria, as it means that we are not able to produce enough petrol to meet our own needs, let alone export any surplus," Kunle said. "We are forced to rely on imported petrol, which is expensive and can be unpredictable in terms of supply."

Kunle praised the Dangote refinery, which is currently under construction, as a significant achievement that will help to address Nigeria's energy needs. "The Dangote refinery is a game-changer for Nigeria," he said. "It has the capacity to produce 50 million liters of petrol per day, which is more than enough to meet our daily demand. This will help to reduce our reliance on imported petrol and make our energy supply more secure."

However, Kunle noted that the Dangote refinery is not a silver bullet for Nigeria's energy challenges. "We still need to address the issues with our existing refineries, which are not functioning at optimal levels," he said. "We also need to invest in new infrastructure, such as pipelines and storage facilities, to support our energy sector."