President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has revealed that powerful interests within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector are still working against the success of his $20 billion refinery project in Lekki, Lagos.
Speaking at an investor forum in Lagos on Friday, May 2, Dangote said a long-standing cabal benefiting from government-subsidised fuel imports is actively resisting the progress of the refinery and opposing the government’s removal of petrol subsidies.
According to a report by international news outlet Semafor, Dangote stated: “For a very, very long time, those that made huge profits from subsidised fuel imports have tried to sabotage our refinery project.”
He added that these groups are also working to undermine the Tinubu administration’s efforts to eliminate subsidies and are making it difficult for the refinery to operate freely.
Despite these challenges, Africa’s richest man expressed confidence in overcoming the opposition.
“We’re fighting, and the fight isn’t over yet. But I’ve been a fighter all my life, and I’m 100 percent sure I will win in the end,” he said.
It will be recalled that the Dangote Refinery began supplying petrol in September 2024, a move that significantly reduced Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel.