Why Nigerian Govt has to end ‘petrol subsidy’ now — Dangote

The Federal Government has been urged to fully discontinue fuel subsidies by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of the Dangote Group.

In addition to confirming ownership of two oil blocks in the upstream sector with an anticipated production date of next month, he stated that the removal will aid in determining the nation’s true gasoline consumption.

Dangote added that the naira will be less under strain if fuel is produced at his $20 billion mega refinery in Lagos. Every day, 650,000 barrels of crude oil can be refined at the refinery.

Speaking in a 26-minute interview with Bloomberg Television in New York on Monday, Dangote said now is the right time to end fuel subsidies.

Africa’s wealthiest man further noted that ending petrol imports will have a huge upside in easing currency pressures.

He said, “Subsidy is a very sensitive issue. Once you are subsidising something then people will bloat the price and then the government will end up paying what they are not supposed to be paying. It is the right time to get rid of subsidies.”

“But this refinery will resolve a lot of issues out there, you know, it will show the real consumption of Nigeria, because, you know, nobody can tell you. Some people say 60 million litres of gasoline per day.

“Some say, it’s less. But right now, if you look at it by us producing, everything can be counted. So everything can be accounted for, particularly for most of the trucks or ships that will come to load from us.

“We are going to put a tracker on them to be sure they are going to take the oil within Nigeria, and that, I think, can help the government save quite a lot of money. I think it is the right time, you know, to remove the subsidy.”

Dangote who recalled the challenges faced after the project’s launch in 2013, experiencing a five-year delay due to issues with state government and host communities and a running loan of $2.4bn, said he is personally proud to achieve the feat.

On whether the subsidy will make the refinery viable, Dangote said, “Well, you see, we have a choice of either one. We produce, we export, and when we produce, we sell locally. But we are a big private company. And yes, it’s true, we have to make a profit. We build something worth $20bn so definitely we have to make money.

“The removal of subsidies is totally dependent on the government, not on us. We cannot change the price, but I think the government will have to give up something for something. So I think at the end of the day, this subsidy will have to go.”

President Bola Tinubu removed the subsidy when he took office in May 2023, exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis that sparked protests, but quickly reinstated it as inflation spiked.

Another step to ending it was taken in early September when the gasoline cap was eased — though the price remains below the market level.

Nigeria, until Dangote’s refinery came on stream was fully dependent on imported petroleum products, and has been taking tentative moves to finally end the nation’s pricey fuel subsidies, which in 2022 cost $10bn.