Dangote RefineryThe truth is, If Bola Tinubu were to be President of Nigeria in 2015, there wouldn’t have been any Dangote refinery today. They would have killed it at infancy.
How do I mean?
President Muhammadu Buhari stopped at nothing to ensure Dangote refinery was completed. Buhari mobilized immense funds, logistics, enabling business environment, generous waivers on tariffs and taxes for the refinery as well as favourable agreements with government and NNPC on the supply of enough crude in naira for the refinery to achieve full capacity production.
All these were done in preparation for the removal of subsidy so that when it was eventually removed, the cost of petrol will not exceed at least 500 naira a litre and thus make it bearable on Nigerians, as it will not cause to much economic upheaval and disruptions.
Unfortunately, the Tinubu government, with his family’s oil interests, oil marketer oligarchs that helped him to power; his foreign oil masters, and NNPC leeches sucking the life blood out of Nigeria felt threatened by the completed Dangote refinery. And they started all manners of calculated evil to kill an already completed multi-billion dollars refinery.
First, the Tinubu government reneged on the completion of payment for the acquisition of the remaining 20% federal government shares in the refinery which Buhari has already paid 5% with the remaining 20% spread over a period of time favourable to the Federal Government. Why? To deny Dangote refinery the much needed funds to kick-start and maintain production before they break even on their investment.
Two, the Tinubu government, with NNPC reneged on supplying Dangote with the agreed number of crude barrels a day and in naira which the Buhari government signed with him to make fuel affordable to Nigerians. This forced Dangote to start importing crude from America, Europe and Asia in dollars which shot up his production costs and eventually the cost of his fuel.
Next, NNPC announced that Dangote refinery fuel was substandard. Dangote invited experts and National Assembly Committee members who, after testing debunked their lies and affirmed that Dangote refinery fuel is the best.
Then, the government media hirelings immediately started sponsoring ugly narratives about Dangote – calling him a shylock and mean monopolist insensitive to the plight of Nigerians when in reality, it is the Tinubu government and NNPC that are messing up the lives of Nigerians.
Recently again, the government borrowed another 1.3 billion dollars through NNPC without the knowledge of Nigerians. When the clandestine borrowing was bursted, NNPC said they borrowed the money to help Dangote refinery with liquidity. Dangote immediately denied this in a public press statement that it’s a lie & that Dangote refinery have no liquidity problems.
There is nothing this government, NNPC and marketer oligarchs that helped this government to power did not do to kill Dangote refinery.
They even stopped buying from Dangote, saying his fuel is expensive when Dangote refused NNPC to be the sole buyer of his fuel and fixing whatever prices they like to satisfy their greed.
This forced Dangote to start sourcing for markets around the world for his fuel.
If Dangote isn’t a strong and resilient business man, this government and NNPC would have destroyed the monumental Dangote refinery that is the pride of Africa presently with their insatiable greed without a single thought for the suffering masses who Buhari they are working very hard today to tarnish his name did everything for to see the refinery completed
Is it not laughable therefore, that the dubious aides and shameless supporters of the Tinubu government are claiming credit for this administration for the recent recorded increase in export earnings — increased export earnings made possible by Dangote refinery’s exports which they wanted to kill in the first place.
Yes, a refinery Buhari pulled all the stops to see its completion for the betterment of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Is it not laughable that the shameless supporters of this Tinubu government are now using the value of dangote refinery their thieving government and NNPC wanted to destroy in their insatiable greed to now mock Niger republic in their stupid fight with Niger over the Nigerien military president’s weighty accusations against Tinubu
“Dangote Refinery $19b.
Niger Republic GDP $16.82b.”
The same Dangote refinery their government wanted to destroy. Yes, the same Dangote they called all sorts of unprintable names on social media.
Without any conscience and sense of shame, a man is truely lost and dead.
Professor Michael Ogueke wrote in from Abuja and can be reached on michaelogueke@gmail.com
