The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that the Dangote refinery is not in any form of competition with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. This statement was made during a courtesy visit to the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bayo Ojulari, in Abuja. The visit is part of ongoing efforts to build a solid working relationship between the state-owned oil firm and the $20bn refinery. According to a press statement issued by NNPC’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, the meeting was a step toward fostering healthy cooperation and ending years of perceived rivalry.
No Competition, Just Collaboration
“There is no competition between us; we are not here to compete with NNPC Ltd. NNPC is part and parcel of our business, and we are also part of NNPC. This is an era of cooperation between the two organisations,” Dangote said. He further stated that his refinery was ready to work closely with the new NNPC management to strengthen Nigeria’s energy security and increase national output. The meeting came after past tensions involving crude oil supply and alleged sabotage by powerful market players. Dangote clarified that those fighting against his refinery were not from NNPC but from among major marketers.
NNPC Assures Support and Healthy Relationship
Ojulari welcomed Dangote and thanked him for the visit. He promised that NNPC would support any partnership that promotes commercial growth and national prosperity. According to him, “NNPC will sustain its collaboration with the Dangote Group, especially where there is a commercial advantage for Nigeria.” He praised the hardworking team at NNPC and assured that the company would continue to promote innovation and value creation. Both leaders also agreed to personally oversee their organisations’ collaboration going forward.
The message from both companies was clear: no rivalry exists, only partnership. Both sides are focused on deepening cooperation to achieve energy security and economic progress for the country.
