….saying it will become highest employer of chemical engineers in Nigeria
Chibisi Ohakah, Abuja
The Nigeria Society of Chemical Engineers (NSCh), boss, Engr. Saidu A. Muhammed, has endorsed the Dangote, 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity oil refinery, located in Lagos Nigeria, saying the company will end up as the highest employer of chemical engineers in the country.
The president of the society, Engr. Saidu Mohammed, who spoke during on a facility tour of the refinery and petrochemical project at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos last weekend commended the company for its contribution to energy security in Nigeria.
Leading members of NSCh on the tour of the refinery project to mark the end of the association’s 51st-anniversary celebration, Engr Mohammed regretted that the industries in Nigeria have been unable to absorb the thousands of engineers produced yearly by Nigerian universities.
“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. 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”, he said.
He expressed delight with the coming of Dangote refinery which he said has the capacity to meet the manpower gaps in the industry in Nigeria, saying that there is need to celebrate such company.
“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 said
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 said the Nigeria Society of Chemical Engineers is 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.”
In his comments, the technical consultant to the president of Dangote Group, Engr. Babajide Soyode, said 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.
“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.
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