Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Petrochemicals and Refinery, has dismissed claims by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, that petroleum products from his refinery are inferior compared to imported ones.

Dangote said on Saturday when the leadership of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbass, toured the facility spread out in the expansive Dangote Free Zone in Lekki, Lagos that it is actually the foreign products that are substandard.

To prove his point, Dangote caused tests to be conducted on diesel bought from filling station outside the refinery and diesel obtained from his refinery with products from his refinery showing superior quality in conformity with recommended global standard.

He told the lawmakers:  “The most important thing, your excellency, is to note that the imported one they are encouraging, is the spec in test, but in certain cases when you check (independently), different results will show.

“This is because those people who have the lab have been told what to write.”

He said that the best way to determine the quality of products being imported and sold to Nigerians is by going to the filling stations, buying and testing them.

Speaker Abbas while responding, said going by the results and counter claims, there was a need for an investigation.

“I don’t know how we have this contradiction of two players representing the public and private sector. I think it is something we need to investigate further to find out if there are ulterior motives.”