Billionaire and philanthropist Femi Otedola has extended heartfelt congratulations to Aliko Dangote, the President of the Dangote Group, following the announcement that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has attained its maximum production level of 650,000 barrels per day.
A statement from the refinery, confirmed this breakthrough after completing the restoration and optimization of its Crude Distillation Unit along with the Motor Spirit production section, highlighting it as an unprecedented accomplishment for a refinery of this magnitude operating on a single-train system.
In a formal announcement issued on Wednesday, the company disclosed that this progress initiates a crucial stage in the escalation of Africa’s biggest oil processing plant.
With the facility now undertaking a 72-hour rigorous performance evaluation in partnership with its licensor, UOP, to confirm reliability, productivity, and adherence to international benchmarks.
David Bird, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, emphasized that the smooth amalgamation of these units demonstrates the facility’s profound engineering expertise and steadfast operational strength.
Responding via a post on his official X handle on Thursday, Otedola hailed the feat as a pivotal success not just for Dangote but for the entire nation of Nigeria and the broader African region.
“I congratulate my friend and brother, @AlikoDangote, on the remarkable achievement of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery reaching its full 650,000 barrels per day capacity,” Otedola wrote.
He further pointed out that the development goes beyond mere output numbers, signifying a profound transformation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
“More importantly, it is transformational for Nigeria and Africa. Supplying up to 75 million litres of PMS daily changes our energy narrative and conserves foreign exchange,” he added.
Otedola highlighted that the onset of substantial local refining, after years of depending on imported fuel products, is anticipated to alleviate strain on Nigeria’s currency exchange system.
“With domestic refining now firmly underway after decades of reliance on imports, pressure on the foreign exchange market should ease significantly,” Otedola remarked.
He reiterated his confidence regarding the potential effects on the country’s money, noting, “I am optimistic that the naira will strengthen meaningfully, and trading below ₦1,000/$1 before year-end is increasingly within reach.”
Additionally, Otedola disclosed that Dangote is already pursuing ambitious growth plans for the refinery.
“Aliko is not stopping here. He has embarked on an additional $12 billion expansion to increase refining capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, alongside 2.4 million tons of polypropylene and 400,000 metric tons of Linear Alkyl Benzene for detergent production. Work has already commenced in earnest,” he added.
Persecondnews reports that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Africa’s largest oil refining facility, is set to undergo a major expansion that will more than double its current production capacity from 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.4 million bpd by 2028.
This ambitious project, announced by Aliko Dangote in October 2025, aims to position the refinery as the world’s largest single-site petroleum refinery, surpassing the current leader, India’s Jamnagar Refinery, which has a capacity of 1.24 million bpd.
Dangote highlighted the project’s boldness in a briefing, stating, “When we announced 650,000, a lot of people didn’t really listen to us because they thought we were crazy and that it would never happen.
“The biggest capacity then was 450,000, and we said we wanted to do 50% more than that, and we delivered.”
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