On Monday, the League of Engineering Bodies in Nigeria expressed admiration for the remarkable scale and design of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, as well as the Dangote Fertiliser Plant located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.

The engineers characterized the structure as "awesome" and "mind-blowing" during their recent visit. Mr. Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Oil & Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, who guided the tour on Saturday, emphasized the exceptional engineering accomplishments realized at the facility.

He addressed concerns regarding monopoly, explaining that the initiation of such projects often encourages others to follow suit. This comes as the company prepares for the launch of its Premium Motor Spirit product.

The league, which includes the National Society of Engineers, Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Association of Consulting Engineering in Nigeria, and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, praised Dangote Industries for its substantial investment in Nigerian engineering talent and infrastructure.

A statement released by the league on Monday, titled "Engineers Praise Dangote Petroleum Refinery as Awesome and Mind-blowing," highlighted these sentiments.

“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,” it read.

In response to inquiries, Edwin, the Group Vice President of Oil and Gas, clarified the discussions surrounding the monopoly label, emphasizing that it is essential for one entity to initiate a project before others can join in.

“Nigeria was one of the largest importers of cement, then we started manufacturing cement, and then we became exporters; the same thing applies to sugar, salt and now fertiliser. This breakthrough opened the doors for other investors in those industries and Nigeria is better for it.

“What motivates Mr Dangote is his sheer interest in the Nigerian project. We are indeed in business to make money but the question is, where is the money going to? Every money Dangote is making goes back to the Nigerian economy, from cement to salt, sugar, and fertiliser.”

“The business strategy of the Dangote Refinery is to minimise the energy cost and the overall cost of production; build the most environmentally friendly; maximise value addition; maximise gasoline, which is in high demand with about 55 per cent of the production capacity compared to 22 per cent of the existing refineries in Nigeria; strategically located marine infrastructure for crude receipt and product evacuation; state-of-the-art technology; produce Euro V products; provide crude flexibility; and create a market of $21 billion per annum of Nigerian crude,” Edwin asserted.

During her visit, Margaret Oguntala, the 34th and first female President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, referred to the facility as "extraordinary."

“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.

Representing the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Prof. Azikwe Onwualu emphasized that the guests have witnessed "something positive that Nigerians should be aware of."

Onwualu added, “We are happy some of our fellows are part of your system. We would like to remind the President of the Dangote Group, Mr Aliko Dangote, that if you are not doing something great, you will not be criticised.

“Whatever you are doing, keep it up. If we have this kind of development across Nigeria, people won’t be talking about protests. Keep doing what you are doing and you will hear from us.”

Furthermore, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, the President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, expressed his belief that Nigerian engineers are on par with their international peers, citing the Dangote Refinery as a tangible demonstration of this fact.

“We have known this as a fact that Nigerians are no less in engineering globally. We know our capabilities and this attests to it. What we saw today is emotional and I wonder what the motivation for this colossal investment is. We would like to encourage him to keep the spirit of a true Nigerian,” Abubakar noted.

During an interview with journalists, Babajide Soyode, the Technical Consultant for Dangote Refinery, expressed that the visit from his professional peers filled him with a sense of pride.