President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration to strengthen operations at the Dangote Refinery, expand its capacity, and enhance Nigeria’s energy security.

The commitment followed a tour of the refinery complex by Ojulari, during which both men outlined plans for broader cooperation across the oil and gas value chain, potential upstream partnerships, expansion of refining capacity, and opportunities for greater Nigerian participation through public investment.

Dangote told journalists that both organisations shared a common objective of advancing Nigeria’s energy and industrial capacity.

“I think the sky is the limit and we [NNPC and Dangote Refinery] will cooperate and also make sure that we work together to make sure that we make Nigerians proud,” he said.

Responding to questions on additional areas of collaboration beyond the refinery’s ongoing expansion, Dangote disclosed that discussions were underway on possible joint ventures, including upstream operations.

“Most likely, depending on our discussions with them, we will partner with them, maybe in some of the upstream. They, too, will partner with us here because here is not a refinery. It’s an industrial hub,” he said.

He highlighted what he described as the national ownership dimension of the project, noting that NNPC holds a minority stake in the refinery on behalf of Nigerians.

“They are holding 7.25 per cent of the shares that we have here, and they are holding that on behalf of Nigerians,” Dangote said.

He further revealed that plans were underway to broaden participation by allowing individuals to invest directly in the refinery.

“Individually, Nigerians too will have an opportunity. In the next maximum four or five months, they will actually be able to buy their shares,” he said.

According to him, investors would have flexibility in receiving returns.

“People will have a choice either to get their dividends in naira or to get their dividends in dollars because we earn dollars,” Dangote added.

Dangote also disclosed that new industrial projects within the complex, including the production of linear alkylbenzene used in detergents, are expected to position the facility as a continental supplier.

“That raw material for detergent will be sufficient for the entire African continent, and we will deliver all this in the next 30 months,” he said.

For his part, Ojulari described the refinery as a “world-class facility”, praising its scale, technological sophistication, and operational performance.

Speaking after inspecting key sections of the complex, including the master control room, Ojulari commended the leadership behind the project.

“Nigerians, we should be grateful for the leadership and the inspiration of Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the Dangote Group for what my colleague called the audacity to embark on such a huge project,” he said.

He noted that witnessing the facility firsthand provided a clearer appreciation of its engineering depth.

“There’s nothing like being here physically to actually see things for yourself. What we are seeing here is what I call the frontline of world-class technology,” he said.

Drawing on his engineering background, Ojulari said initial concerns about the refinery’s single-train configuration were dispelled after observing its architecture and built-in redundancies.

“Coming here and seeing the architecture of the plant and the redundancy that has been given, you see that despite being a single train, it has an incredibly high availability,” he said.

He explained that the refinery leverages advanced digital, artificial intelligence, and mechanical systems, enabling it to align with global best practices.

Ojulari also revealed that performance indicators had exceeded expectations.

“This plant has now been tested to its full capacity, above its full capacity. Seeing it live, the parameters we are seeing are live parameters,” he said, adding that “every Nigerian should be proud that such an edifice is actually in Nigeria.”

He further disclosed that discussions during the visit covered plans to expand the facility by replicating existing infrastructure to boost capacity and efficiency.

“The expansion of the plant is in hand, which means that we will double the capacity, leveraging all common facilities, which means replication will be coming at a much lower capex,” he said.

Ojulari reiterated NNPC’s position as a shareholder and expressed optimism about the refinery’s long-term impact on Nigeria’s energy system.