The claim by Aliko Dangote that international oil companies are indisposed to sell crude to his refinery, Dangote Refineries, has drawn the reaction of the federal government through its agency, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.
The African richest man had told CNN that international oil companies in Nigeria prefer to sell crude abroad for forex sake than sell to his 650,000 barrels capacity oil refinery.
“The NNPC is doing its best, but some of the IOCs, they are struggling to give us crude, everybody is used to exporting and nobody wants to stop exporting,” he told CNN.
Reacting to the claim, NUPRC via an interview its spokesperson, Olaide Shonola, granted Punchng, said it would mandate international oil companies to sell to the refinery.
“I can’t say we will force them, but as the regulator, we can mandate. And that’s what we are doing, giving clear directives that this must be done. We will just keep on engaging and you will agree with me that most of these things have to be planned. We will keep on engaging. We will do our regulatory function in that area,” the publication quoted Shonola as saying.
