Dangote Hails Nigerian Engineers’ Skill, Says They Outshone Indians in $20bn Refinery Project

|By Adejumo Adekunle

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has praised Nigerian engineers for their outstanding performance in the construction of his $20 billion, 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery, declaring they outclassed their Indian counterparts.

Dangote, President of the Dangote Refinery, disclosed this at a media briefing while addressing his ongoing rift with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). He said the refinery’s success highlights his commitment to creating jobs for Nigerians.

“The biggest challenge for us is how do we create jobs? I can tell you today, when we built this refinery, the Nigerian engineers we hired performed better than the Indians. Eighteen of them are now expatriates in Qatar,” Dangote revealed.

He further announced that Nigerians would take the lead in his next multi-billion-dollar project. “For this new fertiliser plant we are building, the majority of the engineers will be Nigerians,” he added.

Dangote’s comments come amid labour disputes, with NUPENG accusing the refinery of anti-labour practices, particularly in its engagement of drivers for compressed natural gas trucks nationwide. The Dangote Group has firmly denied the allegations, insisting its initiatives are designed for the good of the country.

Despite pushback from stakeholders in the downstream sector, the refinery, which began fuel rollout in September last year, officially launched its petrol distribution scheme on Monday.