Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Group, has clarified that his refinery is not in competition with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). The clarification came during his courtesy visit to the new NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, at the company’s headquarters in Abuja. The meeting was aimed at strengthening collaboration and easing concerns about a possible rivalry between the state-owned oil firm and Africa’s largest privately owned refinery.
Dangote emphasized that the refinery and the NNPC are not adversaries but strategic partners within Nigeria’s energy sector. He described NNPC as “part and parcel” of the Dangote business and stated that cooperation, not competition, is the guiding principle of their relationship. He also noted that both institutions must work together to ensure energy security and economic growth for Nigeria.
The visit follows previous tensions between the two entities, particularly over crude oil supply and payment terms. Dangote had earlier alleged that some powerful business interests mainly major petroleum marketers were working against the success of his refinery. However, he distinguished those forces from the NNPC itself, expressing confidence in the company’s new leadership.
NNPC’s GCEO, Bayo Ojulari, welcomed the visit and assured Dangote of a continued collaborative relationship. He praised the workforce at NNPC as highly skilled and motivated, emphasizing the company’s commitment to innovation, value creation, and shared national prosperity. Ojulari described the partnership with Dangote Group as one that will be driven by mutual benefit, commercial logic, and a shared commitment to delivering results for Nigerians.
The two executives agreed to personally oversee the relationship between their organizations, pledging to build a legacy of productive collaboration and healthy, transparent competition. The meeting also signaled a shift toward closer alignment between public and private stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry one that could help stabilize fuel supply, reduce import dependence, and attract investor confidence in the sector.
The Dangote Refinery, a $20 billion project, is expected to play a transformative role in Nigeria’s downstream sector by refining crude locally and reducing the need for imported petroleum products. Its successful integration with national energy policy and infrastructure could significantly alter the country’s economic and industrial trajectory.
