In an interview, CORAN Publicity Secretary, Eche Idoko, told The PUNCH that the Dangote refinery and others in the country can satisfy the fuel needs of the nation.

Idoko’s comment is coming at a time when the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, said the country would not stop fuel importation to break the Dangote monopoly and ensure energy security.

The CORAN official argued that there was no way the government would tackle rising inflation if it did not address the high cost of fuel, especially by working with the local refiners.

“You can’t tackle inflation if you don’t address the pump price of petroleum products. You cannot say you have a plan to step down inflation and you are not involving the key sectors like the refineries; you have to involve us, let’s work together.

“And CORAN is saying that, in 18 months, if the Nigerian government will work with our programmes and plans, in 18 months, we can stop the importation of petroleum products completely. There are refineries in different stages of completion. In 18 months, we can produce what Nigeria will consume,” he stated.

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