Ayodele Olalere
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said that he’s regretting not heeding his friend’s advice against investing in Nigeria.
Dangote’s regret is coming on the heels of claims that some international powers in the oil sector are frustrating him in having access to crude oil for his refinery which has slowed down operations at his refinery.
There are also claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, that diesel from Dangote Refinery is of inferior quality.
Reminiscing on the advice, Dangote, in an interview with an online medium, noted that four years ago, one of his’ wealthy friends began to invest his money abroad’ which he (Dangote) disagreed with and urged him to rethink his actions in the interest of his country.’
He said his friend mentioned policy inconsistencies and shenanigans of interest groups as reasons for his actions. However, he noted that recent moves to frustrate him out of the oil business has proved his friend’s right as the friend is now taunting him for his failure to heed his advice.
“That friend has been taunting me in the past few days, saying he warned me and that he has been proven right,” Dangote was quoted to have said.
Dangote further noted that he built the refinery to solve issues confronting the country in the oil sector but expressed regret that ‘some people are working against him.’
He offered to let go of the refinery and expressed readiness to hand it over to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to run if it would suit those he claims are working against him.
” This refinery can help in resolving the problem but it does appear some people are uncomfortable that I am in the picture. So I am ready to let go, let the NNPC buy me out, and run the refinery,” he said.
While Dangote is yet to categorically point accusing fingers at individuals or organisation or mention names of those working against him, the NMDPRA spokesman, George Ene-Ita, had, in an interview said the agency would not engage in a media fight with anybody over the report by the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, that Dangote’s diesel has more sulphur content than imported one.
Ahmed had also said that the refinery is at the pre-commissioning stage and has not been licensed yet, noting that the diesel produced at the refinery was below international standard, a claim which the businessman had refuted.