‘Dangote Refinery to become highest employer of chemical engineers in Nigeria’

The National President of Nigeria Society of Chemical Engineers (NSCh) has revealed that Dangote Oil Refining Company will be the highest employer of chemical engineers in the country when the refinery comes on stream.

The Society’s National President, Engr. Saidu A. Muhammed, stated this during the NSCh’s visit/tour of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical project at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos at the weekend.

He commended the company for its contribution to energy security in Nigeria.

Engr. Muhammed, who led members of NSCh on a tour of the Dangote 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery project in Lagos, to mark the end of the association’s 51st-anniversary celebration, said the industries in Nigeria have not been able to absorb the over 1,000 engineers yearly from Nigerian Universities.

Muhammed stated, “We, the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, have keenly been watching the progress of the refinery project.

“When completed, the refinery will be the singular largest employer of chemical engineers in the country. Nigerian Universities turn out about 1,000 chemical engineers every year and the avenues for employment have been very scarce.

“The industry has not been able to fully absorb the number of chemical engineers that passed out of the universities years ago”.

Also speaking, Technical Consultant to the President of Dangote Group, Babajide Soyode, said the commencement of the firm’s refinery will help Nigeria exceed its gas and diesel demand.

Soyode stated that production from the Dangote Refinery will also push output of jet fuel and kerosene beyond the current supply level, while increasing export volume of the products.

What you need to know

Nigeria has been struggling to meet its oil quota of recent, and this made Libya to surpass the West African country as the largest oil producer on the continent.

It was gathered that Nigeria’s output fell to 1.23 million barrel per day in October [down from 1.25 million bpd in September], against Libya’s 1.24 million bpd in October, which climbed from 1.16 million bpd of September.

Some of the country’s production lines has been reporting damages, which affected about 60,000 bpd last month. Royal Dutch Shell Plc had contributed to the fall in output following a pipeline halt, forcing the oil giant to suspend exports from its Bonny Oil Terminal, to avoid leakages.

Read also: Dangote refinery, five others to purchase crude in Naira

Other production lines like Forcados was on a force majeure, hence, not contributing to the 1.6 million quota expected from Nigeria, while Nembe Creek Trunk Line was also damaged at the end of Q3 into Q4 2021.

Aside from this costing Nigeria, the country also losses part of the commodity during export for refined products and spend heavily on the refine process.

Can Dangote refinery fill a void?

Dangote refinery is expected to stop the tradition of refining crude oil outside Nigeria, as it will be refining 650,000 barrel-per-day once it begins operation next year.

Soyode said, “This connotes significant positive economic impact on Nigeria and the West African region, transforming Nigeria from a net importer to exporter of refined petroleum products and curtailing significant foreign exchange outflows.

“Additionally, the availability of excess fuel will also provide a catalyst for eliminating Nigeria’s expensive fuel subsidy,” he added.

The oil and gas is one of many commodities produced from the infrastructure which is located at Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos. The facility will produce fertiliser as well, while also serving as power plant for the community close to it.

“When completed, this infrastructure complex will create a significant economy of scale for one of Africa’s largest industrial conglomerates, supporting jobs in both Nigeria and other African countries”, Soyode said.

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