
Aliko Dangote, the wealthiest man in Africa, has requested that Nigeria suspend diesel and aviation fuel imports, Farouk Ahmed, the head of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Agency told reporters.
“That is not good for the nation in terms of energy security and that is not good for markets in terms of monopoly,” he said.
Ahmed added that this action is damaging to energy security and market competition of the West African country. Dangote’s 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery near Lagos has been in operation since January, producing aviation fuel, naphtha, and diesel.
The Nigerian gasoline marketing group chastised the regulator for allowing high-sulfur diesel production domestically while prohibiting imports, thereby benefiting Dangote, the Western media reported in turn. Imported diesel must have a sulfur concentration of 50 parts per million, whereas domestic output can range from 650 to 1,200 ppm.
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