Energy expert Dan Kunle has defended Dangote Refinery against criticisms from petroleum marketers, describing the $20 billion facility as a transformative project that has ended decades of inefficiency and import dependency.
Kunle in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, he noted that the refinery recently marked one year of PMS production and launched CNG-powered trucks to distribute fuel nationwide. He criticised unions and petroleum marketers for failing to invest in domestic refining, accusing them of preferring endless negotiations while “Dangote has brought light from the heavens to the earth. Let there be light and there was light. The light has come now.”
“In the last two years we have been talking, talking, talking. That is the problem of Nigeria, talk, talk, talk, no action. They would have mobilised capital and negotiated with the federal government to sell the existing government-owned refineries to them. They didn’t do that. They now see clearly that the day has broken from darkness.”
He accused local importers of working against the national interest, saying they were importing inflation into the economy while Dangote had brought transparency and competitiveness to the sector. “Dangote is offering carrots to the people of Nigeria. That man wants to offer scorpion to Nigeria. Scorpion or snake, whatever, venom, you call it,” he declared.
According to Kunle, the refinery’s location in a free trade zone gives it a natural advantage to export globally while also supplying Nigeria. He dismissed claims that the refinery prioritises foreign markets, arguing that marketers had decades to build refineries but failed. “This small blackmail they want to bring, I call it cheap blackmail. Ask them, the one they are importing, why are they afraid that they are going to drop price? Why didn’t they also drop price? Let them also cut price now.”
Kunle insisted Dangote’s operations benefit citizens directly by saving costs on shipping and imports, which previously added at least ₦75 per litre to fuel prices. He warned that persistent attacks on the refinery could discourage new investors, reinforcing Dangote’s dominance by default. “If all this noise continues to distract Dangote refinery and new potential investors like Duan, it means they will reinforce the status of Dangote to be the single player because they have scared away all other investors. While they themselves are not investing, they have become an enemy of the state.”
On the rollout of 10,000 CNG-powered trucks, Kunle argued that infrastructure growth must evolve alongside development. “Dangote is building roads more than anybody in this country, except federal government. If you roll out 10,000, that 10,000 will challenge us to build more roads. So it’s not a static thing. We must challenge President Tinubu to help us accelerate the economic reform of this country.”
He concluded by urging leadership to meet private sector efforts with infrastructure investment, “Where the private sector has made efforts in this regard, the government must ensure infrastructure development is priority to accommodate this new innovation.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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