The Dangote Refinery controversy

It is a mark of the importance of energy in the life of a people, individuals and their nation that there is so much concern and controversy around the Dangote Refinery. Animate and non-animate entities require energy. Plants require energy from the rays of the sun. Man requires carbohydrates for his energy and to get driven by the Law of Motion. Refinery processes the oil to fuel our automobiles to aid our mobility in our daily activities. It is expected, therefore, that more than passing interest would be shown in the source of our gasoline.

But I am ill at ease watching back-breaking pressure being mounted on Dangote to do this or do that. A great many have become experts lecturing or are poised to lecture him without solicitation on how to run his giant refinery, the biggest in the world, with the capacity to produce 650, 000 barrels a day.

Efforts are being made to get the nation to consider opening a floodgate to importation to compete with the Dangote Refinery. It is understandable that there will be ceaseless debates on the off-the-factory prices at which marketers can get the product for distribution to filling stations. The amount of energy, wholesome and unwholesome being expended on Dangote Refinery is troubling. If the same amount of time and energy has been devoted to seeing to it that the four public refineries roar back to life and production the nation would have not have been in this mess; it would have been somewhere now. But all attention is on Dangote, a private enterprise with private capital! The government has responsibility to protect local industries and by which I mean in particular the Dangote Refinery. It is at the heart of Nigerian economy, it must be made to flourish. Every country does so, to protect its own. We cannot develop refineries of other countries and create jobs for their citizens through importation.

The government must be firm on this. A colleague has applauded Aliko Dangote switching from merchandising to manufacturing within a short time. What a brave step by a brave man to rescue the nation. It is a producer who fixes the price of his product. It can be negotiated. In doing so, however, consideration should be given to Dangote or any enterprise for that matter being able to recover costs and have some margin to be able to continue in business. Having reserves is part of business as well as putting something by for future assets replacement. We must encourage Dangote Refinery to live and grow. We must salute his courage.