Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, has hailed his friend, Aliko Dangote, as having defeated the cabals holding down the Nigerian petroleum industry.
He said this as he congratulated him on the commencement of full-scale operation of the Dangote Refinery, which is set to pump petrol into the long-tortured Nigerian market.
According to Otedola, the battle has been tough for Dangote but he has finally silenced adversity.
“You have dealt a death blow to the so-called local cabals who have fattened themselves for years, feeding off our nation’s economic dependency. These cabals, who have grown rich by keeping Nigeria in a perpetual state of reliance, must now face the reality that their era of easy gains is coming to an end.
“While the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries have remained dormant, their promise unfulfilled despite billions of dollars spent on so-called turnaround maintenance, you have achieved what many said was impossible. You have beaten all the sceptics, silenced the naysayers, and proved wrong those who doubted your resolve, even those who never wanted this project to succeed,” habitually vocal Otedola said on Tuesday in a statement on X.
He recalled that the refinery idea was conceived 25 years ago to transform the country’s energy landscape and liberate Nigerians from the economic dependence that has been holding the country back.
“Aliko, it feels like just yesterday, but it has been 25 long years since we first set our sights on transforming Nigeria’s energy landscape. I remember vividly when we set up the Blue Star Consortium to acquire stakes in the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries—20 per cent for me and 51 per cent for you.
“We were ready to change the game, but fate had other plans. The government of the day, in an act I can only describe as utterly obnoxious, cancelled our stakes and thwarted our vision. But, as always, you refused to be deterred. You never gave up on the dream we shared. You carried the torch forward, igniting a spark that has today become a roaring flame. And now, 25 years later, here we stand on the precipice of history, with the first fuel shipment from the Dangote Refinery—a feat that is nothing short of miraculous.
“You have not just built a refinery; you have liberated us from the chains of economic dependence that have held this nation back for far too long. The days of bowing to foreign powers for our fuel needs are over, thanks to your vision and determination,” he said.
