President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has said that some unnamed cabals are still up in arms against him over his $20 billion refinery.
According to him, the battle is still far from over.
Dangote was quoted by Semafor, an international news medium, to have stated this at an investor forum in Lagos, on Friday.
He, however, expressed optimism that he would win the fight for the refinery, stating his determination to fight on.
Dangote pointed out that some individuals who “for a very, very long time” have “made a lot of money from” government-subsidised oil imports into Nigeria, were the ones trying to sabotage the 650,000 barrels per day oil refinery situated in Lekki, Lagos.
He was quoted as saying that “those groups have funded resistance to the Bola Tinubu government’s removal of petrol subsidies and are opposed to the refinery operating easily in the country.”
However, Dangote expressed confidence that the battle between him and the groups would be won, priding himself as a long-time fighter.
“We’re fighting, and the fight is not yet finished. But I have been fighting all my life, and I am ready and 100 per cent sure I will win at the end of the day,” he stated.
Last year, Africa’s richest man raised the alarm that some mafias were sabotaging his refinery.
He specifically stated that some international oil companies were sabotaging his investment by denying the facility adequate crude supply despite the domestic crude supply obligation.
He also accused Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of issuing licences to marketers to import substandard petroleum products into the country.
He had vowed to push his $20bn refinery to full operational capacity despite what he said were challenges from oil importers seeking to undermine his venture to retain their dominance in the country’s energy sector.
