Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, says the battle to protect his $20 billion refinery from sabotage is ongoing, as powerful interests continue to undermine the landmark project.
Speaking at an investor forum in Lagos, Dangote alleged that entrenched groups who have long benefitted from Nigeria’s subsidised fuel import system are actively working to frustrate the operations of his 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Lekki, Lagos.
“We’re fighting, and the fight is not yet finished,” he said, according to international news platform Semafor. “But I have been fighting all my life, and I’m 100 per cent sure I will win at the end of the day.”
Dangote stated that the same interests resisting the federal government’s removal of petrol subsidies are behind efforts to cripple his refinery’s progress. According to him, these groups have enjoyed decades of profit from fuel imports and now see the refinery as a threat to their dominance.
He also accused International Oil Companies (IOCs) of frustrating the project by refusing to supply crude oil locally, despite Nigeria’s domestic supply obligations. As a result, the refinery has resorted to importing crude from countries as far away as the United States.
In 2024, the Group’s Vice President of Oil and Gas, Devakumar Edwin, alleged that IOCs were deliberately pricing crude above market rates to make local procurement unfeasible. Edwin also blamed the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for issuing licenses that allow the continued importation of substandard petroleum products, undermining domestic refining efforts.
“It appears the IOCs want Nigeria to remain a crude exporter and refined fuel importer, keeping jobs and added value outside the country,” Edwin had said.
Dangote echoed that sentiment, warning that the campaign against the refinery was designed to maintain a flawed system that has held Nigeria back for decades.
“In a system where people have counted easy money for 35 years, they won’t pray for change,” he said. “They will resist it. But this refinery is not just for Nigeria—it’s for West Africa and the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. So, we will push through.”
He recalled how he once ignored advice from former Saudi energy minister, Khalid Al-Falih, who tried to dissuade him from building the refinery. “I told him I didn’t need the advice,” Dangote said.
The refinery, which aims to meet Nigeria’s domestic fuel demand and serve regional markets, remains central to Dangote’s vision for energy self-sufficiency in Africa. Despite earlier expressing regret over the challenges, describing the oil and gas mafia as stronger than the drug mafia, Dangote has remained resolute.
With full operations expected soon, he expressed hope that the tide will turn.
