Nigerian billionaire and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has stated that U.S. President Donald Trump is “more than happy” with the operations of the Dangote Refinery.
Dangote dismissed claims of opposition from the United States, explaining that rather than being a competitor, the country is actually one of the refinery’s major crude oil suppliers and a key beneficiary of the business due to its large scale.
Speaking on Sunday during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos State, he added that the facility still depends on crude oil imports from Ghana and other countries because Nigeria’s domestic production remains insufficient.
According to Dangote, Nigeria has yet to produce enough crude oil to satisfy local demand, necessitating imports from neighbouring African countries as well as the United States.
“We are not getting enough crude, so that’s why we buy from Ghana and a few other African countries. We also buy from the U.S.,” he said.
Dangote emphasized that the United States is one of Nigeria’s main crude oil suppliers and refuted claims suggesting that President Donald Trump is dissatisfied with the refinery or its funding arrangements.
He pointed out that the U.S. benefits substantially from the trade relationship, given the large volumes of crude Nigeria imports.
“The U.S. has been one of our major suppliers of crude, which is why when someone says Trump is not happy with our refinery, it’s not true. Trump is more than happy with our refinery because of the scale of business involved,” Dangote said.
He noted that Nigeria imports no fewer than 100 million barrels of crude oil from the U.S. annually, a figure that could rise to about 200 million barrels per year if supply is doubled.
Dangote also highlighted that Nigeria exports aviation fuel and gasoline to the United States, demonstrating the mutual benefits of the energy trade between the two countries.