Jonathan Nwokpor
Prominent scholar and former head of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), expressed on Wednesday how unexpected it is that the recently operational Dangote Refinery has chosen to focus on producing aviation fuel and diesel while ignoring petrol, which is the fuel that Nigerians need the most.
In May 2023, Sagay revealed in an exclusive interview with QUEST TIMES that Dangote crushed Nigerians’ aspirations when he invited former President Muhammadu Buhari to commission the refinery, only to discover that construction was still ongoing at the location.
He claims that even after the firm declared that it would start producing aviation fuel and diesel, it did not produce petrol, which is necessary for most Nigerians.
He said “A month before Tinubu was sworn in as president, I granted interviews where I said that his government should not remove subsidy until we start producing petrol locally. I said we should hold on until the Dangote refinery and those belonging to the federal government are ready. Once those refineries are ready and you remove the subsidy, there will be no negative impact on the masses”.
“What is making petrol so expensive now is the transport and various charges of importation and exportation”.
“If that advice had been taken, I don’t think we would be going through what we are going through now. But I am a layman and we are talking of a government that is advised by all the specialists in every field in the world. So, I don’t think I can insist that I am right”.
“Unfortunately, this is the outcome of the immediate removal of fuel subsidy when we are not producing petrol locally. However, with Dangote coming in now, I hope things get better. I understand he is not producing fuel now but diesel and Aviation fuel. Why is Dangote so much interested in punishing Nigerians? You know that the main product Nigerians want now is petrol yet he is now producing diesel and Aviation. Why should you do that?”
“He did the same thing too when he invited Buhari to come and commission the refinery when the fact was that the refinery was not ready. The refinery was commissioned in May 2023 but it became operational now in 2024. That is about eight months. So, he raised our expectations only to dash it”.”He did the same thing too when he invited Buhari to come and commission the refinery when the fact was that the refinery was not ready. The refinery was commissioned in May 2023 but it became operational now in 2024. That is about eight months. So, he raised our expectations only to dash it”.
“Now that the refinery is open, he decided to delay the production of the very one that will bring economic change to Nigeria and reduce the hardship being faced by Nigerians. I don’t understand Dangote at all”.
“I think once the refinery in Port Harcourt which has been completed and is going through a process of trials, starts producing and other small ones start producing fuel, I believe we will see prices coming down and the naira will regain its equilibrium and start doing better. Right now, it is such a disaster”.
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