Oil Mafia Tried To Sabotage Refinery Project, Says Dangote

BY GODWIN OBI

The Chairman of the Dangote Group Aliko Dangote has accused those he described as oil mafia of trying to sabotage the refinery project.

Dangote who was speaking at the Afreximbank annual meetings (AAN) and AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum in Nassau, The Bahamas, on Wednesday, said the group he labelled as stronger than the mafia in drug tried several times to stop the project from becoming a reality.

“Well, I knew that there would be a fight. But I didn’t know that the mafia in oil, they are stronger than the mafia in drugs,” he said.

When asked if the group is local or foreign, he said, “Both. There is a local one and a global one. It is all mixed up. They tried all sorts but you know, I’m a person that has been fighting all my life. So, I think it’s part of my life to fight.”

‘We’ll End Up Winning’

Despite the battles, Dangote believes victory is assured.

“I think we will end up winning because the population and the government will be on our side because what we are doing is right,” Dangote said during the event.

In January, the Dangote refinery started production in an event the company described as a “big day for Nigeria”.

“Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced production of diesel and aviation fuel,” the group said. “This is a big day for Nigeria. We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone.”

The 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote refinery is expected to be a game changer when fully operational by helping end Nigeria’s reliance on fuel imports.

It sits on 2,635 hectares (6,500 acres) of land at the Lekki Free Zone on the edge of Lagos and costs an estimated $19 billion.

Though one of Africa’s largest oil producers and the continent’s top economy, Nigeria relies almost totally on imported fuel and diesel because of a lack of refining capacity.

The refinery, first scheduled to open in 2021, was officially inaugurated by then-president Muhammadu Buhari last year.