Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, has raised serious concerns over a covert campaign by powerful oil marketers and traders aimed at sabotaging the economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking to State House correspondents in Abuja on Monday following a private meeting with the President, Dangote accused certain entrenched interests in the oil sector of working behind the scenes to frustrate Tinubu’s bold economic transformation agenda.
The business magnate clarified that while his earlier remarks had alluded to challenges posed by oil cabals, his comments were not directed at the current leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited. On the contrary, Dangote commended the reformed NNPC under the leadership of Group CEO Bayo Ojulari and Non-Executive Chairman Ahmadu Musa Kida for their renewed commitment to transparency, efficiency, and accountability.
“These oil marketers and traders are not happy with the reforms being implemented. They are doing everything to resist change,” Dangote noted, adding that the President’s vision for a $1 trillion economy must not be derailed by self-serving interests.
He revealed the difficulties his $20 billion refinery project had faced in navigating the complex terrain of Nigeria’s petroleum sector but expressed optimism that with the current NNPC leadership, systemic barriers would gradually be dismantled.
Dangote concluded by reiterating his support for President Tinubu’s economic plans and expressed confidence that the government’s strategic reforms would place Nigeria on the path to sustainable industrial growth and energy self-sufficiency.
