The plot to undermine Dangote refinery – Opinion – The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and world news

Two recent events, orchestrated by what I assume to be the Nigerian oil mafia, underscore the vicious plot to undermine the world-famous Dangote Refinery. First, there is the false accusation by the regulators, represented by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the NNPCL.

NMDPRA head Farouk Ahmed recently alleged in a television interview that Dangote Refinery was making substandard products with unsafe sulphur levels and was also trying to monopolize the industry. Ahmed made these claims at State House accompanied by NNPC Group CEO Mele Kyari, signifying that the two are working together.

The other is starving the refinery of the crude oil required for its operation. Hitherto, the common complaint in Nigeria was that there was no functional refinery to utilize the crude oil produced in the country, which explained the export of the product to offshore refineries abroad for refining and re-importation into the country.

Suddenly, with the commissioning of the Dangote refinery, the crude oil disappeared and is no longer available, forcing Dangote to import crude oil from abroad to operate the refinery. What a dramatic irony of the situation? There is no other way to interpret development than to see it as outright sabotage, except that in the heat of the trouble, President Tinubu reportedly ordered the NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote and other local refineries in naira for its operations.

The unsubstantiated and unproven allegations of making inferior products and starving the refinery of crude oil clearly shows how Nigeria’s enemies, the mafia, strive to frustrate every development project in Nigeria.

Fortunately, while the Nigerian oil mafia is fighting Aliko Dangote and his refinery, international bodies are showing unwavering confidence in the Dangote refinery. A number of countries are lining up to buy Dangote’s products. These include the US, Spain, France, South Korea, Angola, Togo, Guinea, Belgium, Israel and Singapore.

According to reports, these are the top 10 importers of petroleum products from Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery. Also, students from all Nigerian tertiary institutions under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have reportedly moved a vote of confidence on the Dangote Refinery.

And to back it all up, Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, recently backed the Dangote Refinery and advised the Federal Government to support the project rather than discourage it. According to Obi, Dangote Refinery should be fully supported, not vilified.

In a series of tweets on his verified X page, Obi said the Dangote refinery was purely an economic issue, not a political one. He noted that the recent conflicts between Dangote and some government agencies were deeply troubling. The issue, he said, transcended political affiliations and personal grievances. It was fundamentally about Nigeria’s economy, its future and the well-being of Nigerians.

That there is a vicious plot to make the Dangote refinery fail is beyond dispute. The other day, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said that those who profit from the import of fuel will do everything to frustrate the Dangote Petroleum refinery. In an interview with the Financial Times, Obasanjo said: “If those who sell and supply refined products for Nigeria feel that they are going to miss out on lucrative opportunities, they will also do everything to frustrate him.”

Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote had stated that some governments and non-governments were attempting to frustrate his $20 billion refinery. In this regard, Dangote Group officials recently alleged that international oil companies were frustrating the refinery by refusing to sell crude oil or selling it at a premium of $4 above the normal price. This led to the Federal Executive Council’s directive to the NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in naira and not US dollars.

But the problem goes beyond frustration and refusal to sell crude to Dangote. The underlying objective of the oil mafia, one can argue, is to sink the refinery and ensure that it does not operate or see the light of day. Nigeria has a history of crucial development projects that have been stalled and rendered redundant.

The Dangote refinery is the latest target. The plot to undermine the refinery comes as no surprise. Over the years, the same mafia has managed to undermine a number of crucial industrial development projects; projects that could have put Nigeria in the spotlight have turned out to be a national liability instead of an asset.

The catalogue of failed industrial projects includes the Ajaokuta Steel Mill, a huge industrial plant begun in 1976 but sabotaged more than 40 years later and still unfinished. About three-quarters of the plant is abandoned. Next in line are Nigeria’s four refineries, with two in Port Harcourt and one each in Warri and Kaduna in a coma. Most of the Niger Delta’s oil reserves are controlled by foreign companies.

There is also the moribund Jos Steel Rolling Mill and the sold National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria (NAFCON). All these and many more mega projects that could have lifted Nigeria up remain dark spots in the blocked attempt to industrialise Nigeria. Nigeria’s enemies were able to undermine these iconic projects because they were government-owned.

But the Dangote Refinery is a private venture of a shrewd industrialist with a vision to make a mark on Nigeria’s industrial landscape. And by divine decree, Dangote happens to be the richest man in Africa. Consequently, Nigeria’s enemies, the mafia who want to thwart the refinery, face an uphill task. They cannot penetrate.

The iconic $20 billion refinery, the largest in the world, has put Nigeria on the map of the global petrochemical industry. Despite this unprecedented positive impact on Nigeria, opponents are still determined to deconstruct the refinery, but without success.

The Dangote Refinery is facing the same challenges as Barth Nnaji of the Geometric Power Plant in Aba, Abia State. Recently, the Geometric Power Plant, an iconic facility built by Professor Barth Nnaji, faced the same obstacles. Faced with an unsolvable epileptic power supply situation, the patriotic and progressive Nnaji decided to build the Geometric plant to alleviate the epileptic power supply situation in the Aba Industrial Zone.

Instead of encouraging and facilitating the operation of the plant, Nigeria’s enemies conspired to throw obstacles in the way of the $800 million plant, rendering it redundant for a long time until recently when the lid was lifted. This is the dilemma facing the Dangote Refinery.

The question is what Nigeria really wants. Does it really want to develop industrially like its counterparts in other climes or does it want to continue stalling for time and fool itself? It is ironic, even incomprehensible, how a country that claims to be looking for investors from all over the world frustrates its indigenous investors who dared to invest in the country despite the difficult business climate against all odds.

There is no doubt that the oppressive treatment of local investors is a deterrent to foreign investors. It is high time that Nigeria changes course on this very critical issue because if all the legitimate industrial facilities in the country were made functional, there would be no mass unemployment while the country is booming.
Dr. Onyekakeyah, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Owerri.