Dangote refinery set to become highest employer of chemical engineers in Nigeria

The Dangote Oil Refining Company will be the highest employer of chemical engineers in the country when the refinery comes on stream, the National President of Nigeria Society of Chemical Engineers (NSCh) has said.

The Society’s National President, Engr. Saidu A. Muhammed, who disclosed this during the NSCh’s visit/tour of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical project at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos at the weekend, commended the company for its contributions to energy security in the country.

According to Muhammed, the industries in Nigeria have not been able to absorb the over 1,000 engineers yearly from Nigerian Universities. 

He said: “We, the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, have keenly been watching the progress of the refinery project.

“When completed, the refinery will be the singular largest employer of chemical engineers in the country. Nigerian Universities turn out about 1,000 chemical engineers every year and the avenues for employment have been very scarce.

“The industry has not been able to fully absorb the number of chemical engineers that passed out of the universities years ago.

“Some companies within the sector are not running at the optimum level. Therefore, employment is really key.

“However, from the energy security point of view, chemical engineers are always concerned about what can be put in place to guarantee energy security the country.

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“Nigeria is blessed with abundant crude oil, but unfortunately, we are importing petroleum products simply because Nigeria’s own refineries are not utilizing their installed capacity.

“Therefore, when you see a brand new refinery like the Dangote Refinery that has the capacity to meet the petroleum products needs of the country, there is need to celebrate such company.”

Muhammed expressed delight over the size of the project and the level of work that has gone into the construction of the refinery, describing it as very impressive.

“There is no project of this magnitude right now in this part of the world, ” he said, commending the Dangote Group for its plans to ensure that Nigerian engineers are trained to handle the operation of the plant which has been acclaimed to be the largest single-train refinery in the world.

“We are most impressed by the numbers of Nigerians that we see within the site working at various sections of the plant. We are glad that Dangote is building this type of project in Nigeria, which is one of the largest in the world.

“We are also happy about the refinery’s contribution to energy security in Africa. The refinery is also going to have positive impact on Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas industry,” he said.

Also speaking, the Technical Consultant to the President of Dangote Group, Engr. Babajide Soyode commended the chemical engineers for coming on a tour of the refinery.  

According to Soyode, Dangote’s refinery will help Nigeria meet and exceed its current demand for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and kerosene, leaving ample product for export.

Soyode said the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery would complement other major infrastructure investments that Dangote has planned at the strategically located Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, including a port, gas processing facility, power plant, and petrochemical and Fertiliser complex.

“When completed, this infrastructure complex will create a significant economy of scale for one of Africa’s largest industrial conglomerates, supporting jobs in both Nigeria and other African countries.”