The Nigerian Democracy Working Group has advised President Bola Tinubu not to allow “disgruntled” people in the oil and gas sector to sabotage the Dangote Refinery.
Aliko Dangote, chairman and chief executive officer of Dangote Group, recently engaged in a war of words with the country’s regulatory agencies over the refinery.
Farouk Ahmed, chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), had said local refineries, including Dangote’s, were producing inferior products compared to imported ones.
Dangote refuted the claim and accused some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of owning a blending plant off Malta.
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In a statement on Friday, Vincent Innocent and Idris Mohammed, the group’s convener and co-convener, alleged that “there is a conspiracy to sabotage the Dangote refinery” by people who “do not mean well for the country”.
“The Dangote refinery project is an investment that would boost economic activities in the petroleum sector and cause a drastic upsurge in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation, it will also guarantee an increase in revenue for all strata of socio-economy in deep connection to the larger public,” the statement reads.
“We would like to caution His Excellency, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian authorities that are involved, to thread carefully on the matter of Dangote Refinery and of course on other matters that are genuinely aimed towards alleviating the collective sufferings of the Nigerian population.
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“It is our humble opinion that Aliko Dangote plays important roles in nation building. It is also on the record that this committed citizen, Alh. Aliko Dangote, is the largest private sector employer of labour and his companies are amongst the leading taxpayers in the country.
“We therefore beseech His Excellency, Sen, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prevail on the few disgruntled elements in the petroleum sector, to steer clear of the Dangote refinery project.”
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