The Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, has issued a stern warning against efforts to undermine and hinder the operations of the Dangote Refinery. Abdullahi emphasized that such actions are detrimental to the nation’s interests.
In a statement released in Abuja on Saturday, the former vice-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, voiced his concerns following the Federal Government’s intervention in the ongoing dispute between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Dangote Refinery management.
Recent media reports highlighted the challenges faced by the Dangote Refinery, one of Africa’s largest oil plants, in securing local crude oil supplies. Abdullahi expressed dismay that for three decades, vested interests within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) cartel have crippled the country’s four refineries, leaving them incapable of meeting domestic petroleum needs.
Abdullahi criticized the lack of appreciation for Aliko Dangote’s efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products. He warned that certain vested interests are determined to frustrate the refinery’s operations.
“Nigeria has become the object of global ridicule as the only member nation of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) without refining capacity, heavily dependent on mass importation of oil and other derivatives,” Abdullahi said.
The statement read, “The Northern Elders Forum is closely monitoring the unfolding events orchestrated by some powerful vested interests aimed at frustrating Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who has overcome significant challenges to build a privately-owned ultramodern petroleum refinery in Nigeria. This remarkable achievement, which should earn him national recognition, has paradoxically ignited the malicious actions of those strategically located in the oil and gas sector, who have crippled our nation’s refining capacity and imposed a regime of massive oil importation to the detriment of our national growth.”
Abdullahi warned that the masses, who bear the brunt of escalating fuel prices, frequent shortages, and joblessness, would no longer tolerate a few powerful individuals holding the nation’s economy hostage.
“Regrettably, it is only in Nigeria that politics is driven by narrow interests, often at the expense of the nation’s economic interests,” he said.
The NEF acknowledged the timely intervention of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, in addressing the situation. The forum reiterated its support for Dangote, stating, “We stand resolutely with Dangote in defense of this monumental business achievement, which signifies the dawn of prosperity for our people.”
The Northern Elders Forum called for an end to actions that could sabotage the refinery, urging all stakeholders to support initiatives that enhance the nation’s refining capacity and economic stability.
