Abuja, Nigeria – The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has issued a stern warning against attempts to frustrate and blackmail the Dangote Refinery, stating that such actions would be detrimental to the country.
In a statement on Saturday, NEF Chairman Prof. Ango Abdullahi expressed concerns that certain vested interests, who do not have the nation’s best interests at heart, are attempting to hinder the refinery’s operations.
Abdullahi, a former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, highlighted the current impasse between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Dangote Group management.
He noted that this situation has made Nigeria, the only OPEC member without refining capacity, reliant on imported oil and derivatives, subject to ridicule.
The NEF also voiced concerns that for the past 30 years, vested interests and cartels have controlled the NNPC and ensured that the country’s four refineries remain non-operational, failing to meet domestic petroleum needs.
“Instead of appreciating Aliko Dangote’s efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependency on imported refined petroleum products, some groups are intent on hindering the refinery’s operations,” Abdullahi stated.
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“The Northern Elders Forum is watching with sustained interest the unfolding drama orchestrated by some powerful vested interests to frustrate the good example set by the nation’s leading investor and foremost African entrepreneur, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who has defied formidable odds to build a privately-owned ultramodern petroleum refinery in Nigeria,” he continued.
“This remarkable business feat, which should earn him national accolades, has paradoxically ignited the malicious fury of enemies of our country, strategically located in the oil and gas sector. They have wreaked havoc over the years through subterfuges, crippling our nation’s refining capacity and imposing a regime of massive refined oil imports to the detriment of national growth.
“The lamentable and highly troubling commentary against the Dangote refinery from the NNPCL and its sister regulatory bodies smacks of a glaring attempt to de-market this significant national achievement and derail the economy from the path of healthy growth and stability.”
Abdullahi urged all stakeholders to support the Dangote Refinery and recognize its potential to transform Nigeria’s petroleum sector and overall economy.