The Dangote refinery has said its plan to release premium motor spirit into the market this month will no longer be possible.

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, told newsmen on Monday that the petrol from the 650,000 barrels per day capacity refinery will be out in July.

Dangote said this was due to some minor challenges, stating that the product would be out by July 10 to 15.

“We had a bit of delay, but PMS will start coming out by 10 to 15 of July. But then we want to keep it in the tank to make sure that it settles. So by the third week of July, we’ll be able to come out to take it into the market,” Dangote had said.

Dangote had last month disclosed that it would begin the sale of PMS in June, saying his refinery would end the importation of petrol into Nigeria.

Speaking at the recent Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, Dangote expressed optimism about transforming Africa’s energy landscape.

“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a litre,” he declared

We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.

“We have started producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel, and by next month, we’ll be producing gasoline. What that will do, it will be able to take most African crude,” Dangote told the panel.

The words of Dangote appeared to have come as a balm to marketers and Nigerians who are hopeful that the Dangote would crash the price of petrol from around N700 to N500 or below.