Dangote Refinery to become highest employer of Chemical Engineers in Nigeria
•Engineers hail the huge scale of the project
The Society’s National President, Engr. Saidu A. Muhammed, disclosed this during the NSCh’s visit/tour of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical project at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos at the weekend.
He commended the company for its contribution to energy security in Nigeria.
Engr. Muhammed, who led members of NSCh on a tour of the Dangote 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery project in Lagos, to mark the end of the association’s 51st-anniversary celebration, said the industries in Nigeria have not been able to absorb the over 1,000 engineers yearly from Nigerian Universities.
“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.
Some companies within the sector are not running at the optimum level. Therefore, employment is really key.
“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 added.
“The Dangote Refinery project is very impressive, very big. There is no project of this magnitude right now in this part of the world. We are delighted to see that the project is nearing completion and many things have been done.”
He commended the Dangote Group for its plans to ensure that Nigerian engineers are trained to handle the operation of the refinery plant, which has been acclaimed to be the largest single-train refinery in the world.
Muhammed added that the members of the association are happy to see that Dangote Refinery will contribute significantly to energy security in Africa.
“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.”
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.
“This connotes significant positive economic impact on Nigeria and the West African region, transforming Nigeria from a net importer to exporter of refined petroleum products and curtailing significant foreign exchange outflows. “Additionally, the availability of excess fuel will also provide a catalyst for eliminating Nigeria’s expensive fuel subsidy,” he added.
Soyode said that 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.