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The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has assured Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, that the red chamber will ask President Bola Tinubu to place an embargo on importation of fertiliser.
Akpabio gave the assurance when he led a delegation of principal officers of the Senate for an on-the-spot assessment of the Dangote Refinery in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
The former Akwa Ibom State Governor expressed his satisfaction at what he saw on the ground because of the positive impact the project will have on the lives of Nigerians.
He noted that by completing the magnificent 650,000bpd Dangote Petroleum Refinery project, the Nigerian business mogul has successfully silenced doubters and sceptics.
Describing the facility as the 9th wonder of the world, the Senate President said previous governments have been put to shame with the completion of the project.
He pledged that the National Assembly would give what it takes to ensure the protection of the refinery, stating that Nigeria and the African continent should take ownership of the project and protect it jealously.
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“Mr Dangote, I pity you a lot because even your friends will envy you simply because they will keep wondering how can you succeed when nations and continents have failed. Now that we have seen for ourselves, we are here to announce our own endorsement of this major project. It is also shocking to see that we produce sufficient fertilisers for Nigeria and enough to be exported.
"As I said we will do our report and we will speak to Mr President to put a stop to fertiliser import to Nigeria. You will hear from us soon,” he said.
For his part, Dangote said the visit could not have come at a more auspicious time than now as the company is in the process of bringing the various units of the complex integrated refining process on stream.
The billionaire also said the refinery will boost Nigeria's economic growth by creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
He disclosed that over 150,000 job opportunities were created during the construction stage comprising mainly Nigerians.
According to him, the Dangote Refinery, "produces a wide range of high-quality petroleum products, including premium motor spirit (petrol), diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel, all meeting the highest international standards (Euro V Grade). The Refinery apart from adding value to our crude oil, will yield 900,000 KTPA of Polypropylene and 36,000 KTPA of Sulphur and carbon black as by-products."