Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, claims that local airlines have pledged to only purchase jet fuel from Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm program on Tuesday, Keyamo stated that the decision corresponds with the refinery’s start of jet fuel production for the domestic market.
He stated that the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had resolved to stop depending on imported jet fuel in an effort to boost domestic manufacturing.
Keyamo said:
“Incidentally, it is also coinciding with a point when Dangote refinery is coming on board and jet A1 is to be produced. They are about to start producing jet A1 for our local industry.”
“The airline operators of Nigeria recently just met and they have made a clear decision, all of them, will no longer buy imported fuel to also support the local industry, Dangote refinery.
“It is a decision by the airline operators of Nigeria, with my push and my blessing, that they should only buy from Dangote refinery.”
On January 12, the Dangote refinery declared that it had begun production of diesel and aviation fuel.
The development comes only days after the refinery received its sixth one million barrels of crude cargo, which is required to begin operations.
Five months later, the Dangote refinery sent its first jet fuel cargo to Rotterdam, Netherlands.