A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) announced plans to establish a situation room to monitor the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (NNPCL) compliance with the presidential directive to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in Naira.
During a facility tour of the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery in Lagos, leaders of 28 CSOs criticised the NNPCL and regulatory agencies for allegedly holding down the nation’s refineries to continue importing petroleum products.
President Bola Tinubu had intervened in the controversy between Dangote Refinery and the NNPCL by directing the corporation to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in Naira. Solomon Adodo of the ‘Rise Up for a United Nigeria,’ speaking on behalf of the CSOs, praised the world-class facility and condemned the regulatory agency’s support for petroleum importers despite the availability of a local refinery.
Adodo stated that the CSOs plan to petition the Presidency to adopt Dangote Refinery as a national asset to reduce reliance on fuel imports and improve the nation’s foreign exchange situation.
He expressed disappointment in the government’s actions, suggesting that those profiting from the current importation system do not want the Dangote refinery to succeed.
Adodo emphasised the CSOs’ commitment to defending the refinery, stating, “Having gone round to see this world-class project, we are at a loss as to why the government could decide to turn against Nigerians in this manner. But we are not too surprised, given our past experiences. Those who are profiting from our collective misfortune will not want the Dangote refinery to work.
“We are ready to defend this facility with everything as civil society organisations. We are not speaking on our behalf but on behalf of all Nigerians and on behalf of our fatherland. It leaves much to be desired for an agency of government with oversight functions to guide the growth of such a project, as this would now be disparaging the same project. This is too bad.”
“We have seen for ourselves, and we have cleared all doubt as to the completion of this refinery and the readiness to supply all our domestic needs. We will expose them all. Anyone who is not ready to ensure Nigerians have a new lease of life must give way. Now it is a fight to finish.
“Going forward, we are going to set up a situation room to monitor the compliance of the NNPCL with the directive of Mr President that Dangote Refinery be supplied with crude in Naira because we know that the enemies of the people would want to adopt another strategy to sabotage the presidential directive.
“It is criminal audacity for an agency of government to brazenly disparage a national asset like the Dangote Refinery, especially when the government has four refineries, all of which are moribund.
“How then would you treat a private investor who has committed everything to build a functional refinery much larger than all four government-owned refineries put together?
“Nigerians are not stupid; we all know what is interplaying here. They told us that after removing fuel subsidy, market forces would force the price down. What a fallacy of market forces—here we are, and the forces have only succeeded in pushing the price up. Now we have a local refinery that will bail us out, yet they don’t want it to operate so that Nigerians would benefit from it.”
Adodo stated that the CSOs would mount serious advocacy to make the government accede to the demands of Nigerians, which include not just granting the sale of crude to Dangote Refinery in Naira but also ensuring Dangote fuel is available at petrol stations for Nigerians to buy.
The group appealed to the management of Dangote Refinery not to be discouraged but to persevere, as they would mount a serious campaign in favour of the refinery. “Even if it means we should protest, we will. We can’t allow this international embarrassment to stand.”
They argued that all the claims about monopolies against Dangote Refinery were just to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. What Dangote Refinery stands for is not monopoly but “peoplepoly.” They pledged to write to the American Society of Engineers and the European Union, maintaining eternal vigilance.
Speaking while welcoming the group, Vice-President of Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, described Dangote Refinery as a value-adding facility, emphasising its potential to stop the exportation of Nigeria’s crude and the importation of finished products. He questioned why the government would be against such a vision for Nigeria.
According to him, many African countries have minerals but do not add value to their economies because these minerals are exported raw, and the finished products are imported back into the country. The opposite should be the order of the day.
“This is what Dangote Refinery seeks to correct. We did the same in the cement and sugar sectors, where Nigeria was a leading importer of those products. With Dangote leading the backward integration programme of the government, others came into the sector, and together Nigeria now exports cement to other countries.”
“What we want to do in the refinery, we have done in other businesses. Nigeria used to be the biggest importer of sugar. We came in and changed the narrative. We led the backward integration scheme of the federal government, and now we produce sugar locally for domestic consumption, with others joining us. We did the same in cement by opening up production plants, and today Nigeria exports cement to other countries.
“In a business no one was interested in investing in, Dangote delved into it determined to ensure Nigeria no longer imports fuel. He invested massively and came up with the world’s largest single-train refinery. He said he would not take his money to Dubai or Swiss banks as others are doing; he decided to invest at home, and now they are saying he wants to create a monopoly.
“We didn’t ask for any favour other than wanting to buy crude to produce. First, they said there was no crude; later, they said we would have to pay some dollars above the prevailing crude market price. This is a global market where you can track crude prices at any time. We resorted to buying crude from Brazil and the United States. Later, they said we should not be announcing the price of the products.
“Even the US, which is the leading proponent of the free market economy, protects its local industries by imposing huge duties on foreign imports just to protect local industries. This is a man that Saudi Aramco once approached to come and site his refinery in Saudi Arabia, promising a steady supply of crude. Abu Dhabi also invited him to do the same on their soil, but he rejected it, insisting he would build at home. Now he did that, and a facility that is supposed to add value to Nigeria’s economy is being frustrated.”
The Dangote Vice President said the company would continue to focus on its business strategy, which is to add value to Nigeria’s economy through investments and job creation for the teeming Nigerian masses. According to him, Nigeria can only consume 45% of the capacity of the refinery, while the remaining 55% will be exported, bringing much-needed foreign exchange into the country.
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