Femi Otedola congratulates Aliko Dangote as Dangote Refinery hits 650,000 barrels per day, boosting Nigeria’s energy independence and FX savings

Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Femi Otedola on Thursday congratulated Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, after the Dangote Petroleum Refinery reached its full production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.

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The milestone follows the restoration and optimisation of the refinery’s Crude Distillation Unit andotor Spirit production block, marking what the company describes as a global first for a single-train refinery of this scale.

In a statement on Wednesday, Dangote Petroleum Refinery said the achievement signals a crucial phase in ramping up Africa’s largest oil refining facility.

The refinery commenced a 72-hour intensive performance test run in collaboration with its licensor, UOP, to validate operational stability, efficiency, and compliance with global standards.

David Bird, Managing Director and CEO of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, said the seamless integration of the units highlights the facility’s engineering depth and operational resilience.

Reacting on his verified X handle, Otedola described the milestone as transformative for Nigeria and the African continent.

“I congratulate my friend and brother, @AlikoDangote, on the remarkable achievement of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery reaching its full 650,000 barrels per day capacity,” he wrote.

Otedola added that beyond production figures, the development is a turning point for Nigeria’s energy landscape, supplying up to 75 million litres of petrol daily and significantly conserving foreign exchange.

“With domestic refining now firmly underway after decades of reliance on imports, pressure on the foreign exchange market should ease significantly,” Otedola said.

He expressed optimism that the naira could strengthen meaningfully, with trading below ₦1,000/$1 increasingly achievable before year-end.

The billionaire also revealed that Dangote has commenced plans for a $12 billion expansion to increase refining capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, alongside production of 2.4 million tons of polypropylene and 400,000 metric tons of Linear Alkyl Benzene for detergent manufacture.

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“Aliko is not stopping here. Work has already commenced in earnest. Congratulations once again, my brother. Nigeria is proud of you,” Otedola concluded.