The Chairman of the Northern Elders Discussion board, Prof Ango Abdullahi, has warned towards irritating and demarketing Dangote Refinery, saying it’s an sick wind that might do the nation no good.
The previous vice-chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello College, Zaria, raised the issues in an announcement issued in Abuja on Saturday.
His issues come within the wake of the Federal Authorities’s intervention within the lingering face-off between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority and the administration of Dangote Refinery.
The media was awash just lately with information on the difficulties being skilled by the refinery, arguably one among Africa’s largest oil crops, in securing native crude oil within the nation.
However Abdullahi expressed fear that for 30 years, the vested pursuits that run the NNPC cartel ensured that the nation’s 4 refineries have been rendered comatose and incapable of refining the wanted petroleum to fulfill home consumption.
He famous that as a substitute of Nigerians appreciating the favored enterprise mogul, Aliko Dangote, for his efforts to save lots of Nigeria the burden of continued importation of refined petroleum merchandise, some vested pursuits are bent on irritating its operations.
In line with him, Nigeria has grow to be the thing of worldwide ridicule being the one member nation of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Nations with out refining capability and closely depending on mass importation of oil and different derivatives.
The assertion learn, “The Northern Elders Discussion board is watching with sustained curiosity the unfolding drama being orchestrated by some highly effective vested pursuits to frustrate the great instance set by the nation’s main investor and foremost African entrepreneur, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who has defied all formidable odds to construct a privately-owned ultramodern petroleum refinery in Nigeria.
“This outstanding enterprise feat, which ordinarily ought to immediately earn him nationwide encomiums and accolades, has paradoxically ignited the malicious fury of enemies of our expensive nation, who’re strategically situated within the oil and gasoline sector of the economic system. They’ve been wreaking havoc over time by way of many subterfuges, ensuing within the crippling of our nation’s refining capability and the ruthless imposition of a ruinous regime of large refined oil and different sundry merchandise importation to the detriment of our nationwide progress.
“On this smart, the lamentable and extremely troubling commentary towards the Dangote refinery that got here out from the NNPCL and its different sister regulatory our bodies smacks of a evident try to de-market this epochal nationwide achievement and premeditatedly derail the economic system from the trail of wholesome progress and stability.”
Persevering with, the Arewa chief warned that the lots who principally bear the brunt of escalating gasoline pump costs, frequent gasoline shortages and joblessness would not fold their arms and permit a couple of highly effective people to proceed taking the economic system of the nation hostage.
“Regrettably, it’s only in Nigeria that politics is performed with slim pursuits as the driving force and the only real determinant, as a rule, allowed to trample the financial curiosity of the nation.
“The NEF, whereas welcoming and taking considered observe of the well timed motion taken by the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Sources, Mr Heineken Lokpobri, to arrest this worrisome scenario, needs to conclude by restating our willpower to face resolutely with Dangote in defence of this gigantic enterprise stride, which signifies the daybreak of prosperity for our folks,” the assertion added.