DANGOTE REFINERY: ‘Don’t scare away Nigerians abroad from investing in their country’, Nigerian on X tells Tinubu {SEE INTRO}

By KEMI KASUMU

A Nigerian on X Woye @woye1, who appears to have understood what is playing out and militating against the challenges Dangote Refinery is currently facing in making Nigeria self-reliant in terms of being able to refine the petroleum products it consumes, took to this X social media network, on Sunday July 21, 2024, to publicly reach out to and call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to do something.

The DEFENDER recalls that in the recent history of the ongoing Fourth Republic, Dangote soared from Obasanjo Administration and Yar’Adua Administration, which inherited him and his conglomerate, built on it by not tampering with the progress Dangote was making. That was passed on to Jonathan Administration under which the Fulani Kano-born African richest man continue to grow and that was also passed on to Buhari Administration, which saw the idea of a Dangote Refinery started during Jonathan time as a good one and made Nigeria key into it by owning a 20 percent equity well reported in the media and the Refinery was commissioned before President Muhammadu Buhari left office in 2023.

Dangote Refinery has faced one challenge and another since Tinubu Administration came to office including the rumour that the President never granted President of Dangote Group audience to see him one-on-one, yet a man of that calibre needs support of his country not by proxy but by direct access to the President and Chief Economic Controller of the country. Therefore, the refinery that was Buhari’s hope in preparation for evential removal of fuel subsidy, when in operation, had been challenged until it climaxed in the revelation by Nigerian regulatory authorities officially painting Dangote refined petroleum products as substandard.

In a swift reaction, President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, took to the Nigerian Press and bursted the whole truth all sides have avoided to be told. He said the Nigerian authorities, which should support the efforts he is making to make Nigeria grow and stand on its feet, are the very ones making effort to run him down. He said his diesel, for instance, is the best of quality in the whole of Nigeria compared to what his advisories approved being imported from foreign economies. 

Finally, against what Nigerians had always been told that Tinubu have Dangote the labs for the refinery in his effort to attract investment to Lagos State, Dangote came out now to say he paid $100 million to Lagos State Government, which is believed to have been under control of Tinubu despite having let power in the state since 2007, to build his refinery.

Now that Dangote has laud bare the truth, Nigerians, who hitherto blamed him for the problem, are coming out to speak. Amongst them is @woye1. Read him:

DANGOTE REFINERY and the PROPOSED STEEL PLANT:

My Advice to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu:

1:  How is Accra weather sir?

2:  I heard that a Paralympic team from Ghana absconded upon arrival in Norway. This is bad for the image of Ghana and Africa. Extends my sympathy to the @NAkufoAddo

3:  Your Excellency, pls can you convene or ask the Vice President @officialSKSM to head a task force to resolve all the issues surrounding @AlikoDangote’s refinery.

4:   This project is a NATIONAL SECURITY issue that must be protected at all costs.

5:   It is obvious that certain public and private sectors officials are not COMFORTABLE or they could not BELIEVE that this DANGOTE REFINERY would be a REALITY so FAST. They have not woken up to the REALITY.

6:  PATRIOTISM should be above PERSONAL or WHY NOT ME INTEREST.

7:   You will recall sir with nostalgia how you established LEKKI FREE TRADE ZONES. In fact you LAID the FOUNDATION for the establishment of free zones in the country. Your vision came to reality when DANGOTE REFINERY was sited in the LEKKI free zone.

8:  Therefore, DANGOTE REFINERY is your project (FG not Tinubu). You are the architect. This project MUST not FAIL.

9:  I don’t know whether the two Ministers of @FederalMines @shuaibuauduMBA and @HMSSteelDev are aware of the decision of @AlikoDangote to establish a STEEL PLANT.  Dangote said he is no more interested.

–   Sir, kindly direct the two Ministers plus @SGFAkume as well as @femigbaja to lead a team to convince Aliko to change his mind.

10:  Wake up the two Ministers of Steel Development. There is fire on the mountain.

11: MONOPOLY or no MONOPOLY, FG not Tinubu has not approved that only DANGOTE can establish a refinery. They should STOP that “ MONOPOLY PHRASE’.  This must be a KFC extra crispy chicken discussion with FARO Water of sir @atiku

12:  History will be Kind to FG not Tinubu that he leads the new INDUSTRIALIZATION RE-BIRTH as we witnessed in 1970s.

13:  DANGOTE REFINERY MUST NOT COLLAPSE. This is our bride. This is a refinery to say NIGERIA is BACK. This is our BRAGGING RIGHTS.

14:  DON’T SCARE AWAY NIGERIANS ABROAD from INVESTING in their COUNTRY.

15:  REGULATORY AGENCIES must be aware that you can only regulate a LIVING ENTITY. Over regulations kill businesses. That will increase NBS job losses data and make police work extra hours.

16:  MR PRESIDENT, I wish you all the best. You will succeed. You will overcome our present challenges. History will favour you.

17:  I am missing Montgomery Golf Resort. Happy Sunday @officialABAT @NGRPresident @Senator_Akpabio @Speaker_Abbas

https://x.com/woye1/status/1814977490126782580?t=0yHQMaOXp_4E_T5LYrUzfw&s=19