Dangote Refinery has addressed recent media reports alleging that the company acknowledged receiving 60% of its crude oil supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
In a statement released on Friday by its spokesman, Anthony Chijiena, Dangote Refinery clarified that it never accused the NNPC of failing to supply crude oil. Instead, the company expressed concern about the failure of International Oil Companies (IOCs) to follow the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) instructions to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation fully.
According to the refinery, its crude requirement for September is 15 cargoes, of which NNPC allocated only six. Despite appeals to NUPRC and its intervention, the refinery has been unable to secure the remaining cargoes.
The refinery claims its effort in getting the IOCs operating in Nigeria to supply its crude requirements has been futile as they were directed to the IOCs’ international trading arms or informed that the cargoes were already committed elsewhere.
This situation according to the statement has forced the refinery to purchase Nigerian crude from international traders at a premium of $3 to $4 per barrel, which translates to an additional $3 to $4 million per cargo.
“We, therefore still insist that we are unable to secure our full crude requirement from domestic production and urge NUPRC to fully enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as mandated by the PIA. It is a law and they just need to comply,” the statement read in part.
The PIA, signed into law in 2021, aims to overhaul the Nigerian oil and gas industry by enhancing transparency and ensuring fair distribution of oil resources. Under the PIA, domestic crude oil supply obligations are meant to ensure that Nigerian refineries have access to the necessary crude oil supplies to operate efficiently.
The NUPRC has yet to respond to Dangote Refinery’s statement. As the situation unfolds, stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas industry are closely watching for any developments that may affect crude oil supply and pricing in the region.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
