The League of Engineering Bodies in Nigeria have hailed the huge scale of engineering structures at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals and Dangote Fertilizer Plant at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, describing the superstructure at the complex as awesome and mind-blowing, even as the company prepares for the rollout of its premium motor spirit (PMS) product, also known as petrol.
The League, comprising the National Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), Association of Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN), and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), toured the complex at the weekend, where they were received by the Vice President, Oil & Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin.
The body of engineers also commended the President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, for hiring and nurturing highly skilled Nigerian engineers, who were guides during the visit, and declared that engineering is alive in Nigeria, from the workforce to the construction at the Dangote Refinery complex.
During an interactive session, the 34th and first female President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Margaret Oguntala, described the facility as “mind-blowing.”. She added that the refinery project, from construction to employment, gives her hope and assurance that young Nigerian engineers are ready to take up the world.
“I was awed to see the state-of-the-art facility at the Dangote Refinery; what I see here today will blow the mind of any engineer; it is just like the movies. I was an intern at the Port Harcourt Refinery, and I also visited the Kaduna Refinery; it is nothing compared to what I see here. The young engineer that took us around showed capacity, and we are happy that you are building the future of engineers. We at the NSE are behind you; we shall take this home and let the world know that engineering is alive at the Dangote Refinery,” she added.
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Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Prof. Azikwe Peter Onwualu also noted that the visitors have seen “something good, and Nigerians need to know about it.”
Also, President of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Colin, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, enthused that Nigerian engineers are not inferior to their counterparts globally, and the Dangote Refinery is visible proof of this.
Reacting to questions, the Group Vice President, Oil and Gas, Mr. Edwin, demystified talks around the monopoly tag, stating that someone has to start a project before others follow.
While speaking to journalists, the Technical Consultant to Dangote Refinery, Engr. Babajide Soyode, said the visit of his professional colleagues made him “very proud.”.
The Dangote Refinery is poised to begin production of petrol, according to Mr. Edwin, a process that is expected to complement the current products at the refinery, stimulate local supply of the vital product to Nigerians, and save huge foreign exchange revenue for the country.