Elders in northern region warn against Dangote oil refinery extortion attempt

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has warned against attempts to derail and blackmail the Dangote Refinery as such actions would be detrimental to the country.

The Chairman of the Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who gave the warning in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, expressed fears that certain vested interests not in the country’s best interests were trying to sabotage the operations of the Dangote Refinery and that would not bode well for the country in the long run.

Abdullahi, a former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, stated that the current impasse between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) and the management of the Dangote Group has made Nigeria a laughing stock or laughing stock for being the only member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that does not have a refining capacity, and is heavily dependent on imported oil and its derivatives.

NEF also expressed concern that for 30 years, vested interests and cartels have controlled the NNPC cartel and have ensured that the country’s four oil refineries remain inoperative and unable to meet domestic oil needs.

“Instead of appreciating Aliko Dangote’s efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products, some groups are intent on obstructing the operation of the refinery,” Abdullahi said in the statement.

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“The Northern Elders Forum is watching with continued interest the ongoing drama orchestrated by some powerful vested interests to frustrate the good example set by the country’s leading investor and leading African businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who has defied all odds to build a privately owned ultramodern oil refinery in Nigeria,” he continued.

“This extraordinary business achievement, which should have immediately earned him national praise and recognition, has paradoxically provoked the evil wrath of the enemies of our beloved country, which is strategically located in the oil and gas sector of the economy.

“They have been wreaking havoc for years through various machinations, resulting in the crippling of our country’s oil refining capacity and the draconian implementation of a regime of large-scale imports of refined petroleum and other products that are detrimental to our national growth.

“In this regard, the very sad and disturbing comments on the Dangote refinery by the NNPCL and its sister regulatory bodies reek of a blatant attempt to de-market this very important national achievement and deliberately derail the economy from the path of healthy growth and stability.”

Northern elders warn against Dangote refinery extortion attempt first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.