Dangote Refinery To Become Highest Employer Of Chemical Engineers

Dangote Oil Refining Company has made plans to be the highest employer of chemical engineers in the country when the refinery becomes operational from next year.

Nigeria as the giant of Africa and one of the largest oil and gas producing country in the world, with her production accounting for 2.5 million barrels per day. After several years of exploration, development and industrial activities; the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry approximately represents 65 and 94.3 percentage of government revenue and export revenue respectively.

The national president of Nigeria Society of Chemical Engineers (NSCh) has revealed that Dangote Oil Refining Company will be the highest employer of chemical engineers in the country when the refinery comes on stream.

The society’s national president, Engr. Saidu Muhammed, disclosed this during the NSCh’s visit/tour of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical project at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, recently.

He commended the company for its contribution to energy security in Nigeria. 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.

Muhammed stated that, “we, the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, have keenly been watching the progress of the refinery project. When completed, the refinery will be 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 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. Nigeria is blessed with abundant crude oil, but unfortunately, we are importing petroleum products simply because Nigeria’s own refineries are not utilising 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 added.

He expressed delight over the size of the project and the level of work that has gone in the construction of the refinery, saying,“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.

“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,” he said.

Muhammed added that members of the association are happy to see that Dangote Refinery will contribute significantly to energy security in Africa, noting that, “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.”

Speaking also at the event, 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.

“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.”

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,” he added.

Dangote refinery is a 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) integrated refinery and petrochemical project under construction in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, Nigeria. It is expected to be the Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility, upon completion.

The Dangote refinery will process a variety of light and medium grades of crude to produce Euro-V quality clean fuels including gasoline and diesel as well as jet fuel and polypropylene. The integrated refinery and petrochemical project are expected to generate 9,500 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs.