Even as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have ordered NNPC to supply crude oil to Dangote Refinery, does that solve the underlying evil menace and corruption in the country’s oil and gas sector?
It is so unfortunate what we have seen and heard in recent times with regards to the faceoff between Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the Nigerian NATIONAL Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC headed by Mele Kyari and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), headed by Farouk Ahmed.
While Farouk made some damning allegations against Dangote Refinery, including that the refinery is making petrol products with unsafe Sulphur levels, and also trying to monopolize the industry, of which Dangote has refuted. In fact, products from Dangote Refinery has been rated the best among the rest.
Now, you see that all these things are not the problem at all, rather, the oil cabals that has held the country hostage for decades are at it again. They feel threatened by the solution that Dangote Refinery is about offering to the Nigerian people and otherwise.
At a time that many companies and businesses are leaving the country in their numbers, then we ourself is hell bent on frustrating a business that has decided to invest about twenty Billion dollars ($20B) into our ailing economy.
Dangote himself said a friend of his who advised him against investing here is having the last laughter. You can imagine that! And if this can be done to a big fish like Dangote, then you can imagine what other small fishes in the river must have been going through silently.
You think you are hurting Dangote? No! You are rather being wicked to the country in too many ways.
First, you are scaring foreign and local investors away from the country because they are smart business people, who reads deep meaning into any economic and business situation.
At a time the country’s economy is in disarray, refusing countless efforts to better it, same time some wicked cabals are doing everything possible to frustrate and kill such a national asset like Dangote Refinery.
In a country were the wealthy class are constantly being accused of not investing in their fatherland. Well, they are already privy to situations like this, ahead of time already, hence why they refuse to take such risk by investing in their country.
Just like Dangote revealed, that his friend who cautioned him against building his refinery in Nigeria is aware of the handiwork of cabals, harsh, discouraging and frustrating government policies, and otherwise, and so with other ready and willing investors out there.
Regardless of whatever conspiracy theories people may have come up against Dangote, what he has contributed to the country’s economy cannot be overemphasized; the jobs he has created for thousands of Nigerians is one of such.
Now, with this level of frustration and conspiracy against the Africa’s wealthiest person, how do you think he will be willing to invest further in the country? Invite business associates, friends and others into the country to invest?
There are things the President shouldn’t be allowing to happen in the country, except there’s a sinister motives behind the happening. Or on the other way around, is it that what we are seeing is the case of the biblical “hand of Essau and voice of Jacob”. Yes, because there’s a rumour out there that Dangote is being punished for pitching his tent with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 Presidential election.
But I do not want to believe that. But on a more serious note, with what is happening to Dangote, it has become crystal clear why all the refineries we have in the country has remained moribund for decades, and with no believable sincere efforts in sight as to when these refineries will come back to life.
It is same cabal fighting Dangote Refinery that has held these refineries hostage, and that explains why they don’t want Dangote to succeed just like our moribund refineries.
Just imagine all the outrageous funds that has been channelled into rehabilitation of our refineries for years now, yet nothing to show for it. The country has reportedly spent about $25billion in Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of these four refineries in the past 25 years, what have we achieved by wasting such amount on that adventure? And even the recent $1.5 billion spent in the same adventure, what has been achieved?
Then about one of NNPC subsidiaries, PHCR, spent about 23 billion Naira on the payment of the salaries of about 487 of its new staff four years ago, and has not produced even a litre of petrol in the same period and afterwards. You can see what these oil cabals are doing to this country?
Take it or not, the depth of evil and corruption having a field day in the oil sector in this country, if ever get to be exposed, heads will definitely roll. And for such a wealthy and powerful businessman like Dangote to be in tears coz of these oil cabals, then you should know that we are not getting out of this devil’s mansion anytime soon.
You can see how they have tried to blackmail Dangote and his refinery, as a way of painting him black before the world, so as to shift the blame away from themselves, while their evil in the sector goes on without interference or hindrances.
What’s the sin of Dangote? Just his ambition to make the country self reliant and sufficient when it comes to petroleum products. But no, the cabals will be thrown out of business, as such, Dangote was declared their enemy, who must be brought down at all cost.
