Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo says the newly-inaugurated 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company will save Nigeria over $3 billion annually from importing petroleum products.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Obaseki said the refinery was a game changer for Nigeria, adding that it had opened a new vista of opportunity for the nation’s economy.

“Beyond the commissioning, the fact that we have finally got to the position where we can begin to refine products, particularly petrol and diesel locally, is a breakthrough.

“What this means is that we will save up to $3 billion a year for not importing petroleum products,” the governor said.

The governor said that before now, the bulk of what used to be brought to the country was low-grade, thus affecting the vehicles using petroleum products.

“Today, we are producing something that is of international grade, and you can now sell the end product,” he said. 

(NAN)