Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has stirred controversy by accusing the Dangote Refinery of sponsoring media attacks against the recently rehabilitated Port Harcourt Refinery.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Fani-Kayode claimed that certain private sector players, new to the oil business, are trying to discredit the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) following the successful rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery.
According to Fani-Kayode, the refinery’s revival marks a significant milestone for Nigeria’s petroleum sector, with commendations owed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari. He criticized alleged efforts to undermine this achievement and warned against monopolistic tendencies within the oil industry.
“The oil business is not the same as selling sugar, spaghetti, cement, or rice. No matter how hard you try, you cannot muscle your way into creating a monopoly on refined products as you did in other commodities over the years,” Fani-Kayode remarked, in what many interpreted as a direct reference to Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote.
https://x.com/realFFK/status/1862219641059233795?t=rUIaMLtqa6YeUDFsxEn-Cw&s=19
Fani-Kayode urged Nigerians to support both government-owned refineries and private players like Dangote Refinery, emphasizing the importance of healthy competition for the sector’s growth. He also praised Mele Kyari for his determination and ingenuity, stating that Kyari’s efforts have given hope to Nigerians under Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.”
He said:
“The resurrection of the Port Harcourt Refinery is one of the most encouraging things in the petroleum sector in years. Once other NNPC refineries are operational, Nigerians will have more reasons to smile. Let both the new players and NNPC refineries thrive—this should be our goal.”
Industry observers have speculated that Dangote Refinery may prefer minimal competition to secure a dominant position in crude feedstock supply. A source argued that diversifying feedstock options, rather than monopolizing local supplies, would better serve the industry, citing the United States’ production of over 13.5 million liters of petrol daily as an example.
This debate follows years of challenges for government-owned refineries, often criticized for inefficiency and corruption. However, the Port Harcourt Refinery recently broke this trend, resuming operations with excitement reported within the Presidency and oil sector stakeholders.
