Omokri urges Nigerians to support Dangote Refinery

FORMER presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has called on Nigerians to support the Dangote Refinery, saying it’s a national asset that will shore up the value of the Naira.

Omokri spoke on Friday during his tour of the refinery’s facilities in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.

“Nigerians should be proud of what is happening here. All of us have a role to play. The citizens, the unions and the government must support the refinery because its export will bolster the value of the Naira,” he stated.

He warned that any actions to undermine the facility will lead to a decline in the value of the Naira, emphasising that it is in the interest of Nigerians, not just Dangote, to ensure the investment succeeds.

Omokri, accompanied by the chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Dakolo, praised the facility as the world’s largest single-train refinery, with control second only to that of Aramco in Saudi Arabia.

“This is not an up-to-date facility. It is an up-to-tomorrow facility,” the former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan stated.

He emphasised that the refinery is an asset to the country, explaining that it will not add to the pressure on public utilities.

“This refinery is not a drain on the public power or water supply. In fact, they produce 10 percent of Nigeria’s electricity. In this facility (refinery), they generate 500 MW. At the fertiliser plant, they generate 150 MW, bringing the total to 650 MW. So, we need to support this initiative,” he said.

He commended the President of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for his entrepreneurial spirit and patriotism.

He also commended President Bola Tinubu for his foresight in envisioning the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos State many years ago when he was the state governor.

Omokri marvelled at the refinery’s worth of $25 billion, predicting it could rise to $30 billion after the fertiliser plant’s expansion.

Speaking at the refinery’s terminal, he said 650 ships had loaded products from the facility within a year of operation.

He said the achievement was significant because it will enhance the export’s value and increase the purchasing power of Nigerians.

Omokri stated: “The Naira in your pocket will have no value if we do not replace imports with locally produced goods and services. Dangote is the reason Nigeria is no longer the top petrol importer in Africa. South Africa has overtaken us. In fact, we now have a complete turnaround. Nigeria is now the largest exporter of petroleum products in West Africa.

“The more ships that leave here, the more the Naira gains value. That is why we all must support this refinery to operate. We all need to support Dangote for everything he is doing.”

He stated that the refinery, together with other positive policies of the Tinubu administration, had reversed the country’s trade deficit.

“Last year, we had a trade surplus of $14 billion,” Omokri emphasised, predicting, “This year, we are about to surpass that. Already, we have surpassed last year’s surplus by 44.3 percent. It’s because of things like this.”

He urged Nigerians to look inwards and buy made-in-Nigeria products to strengthen the country’s economy.

“My message to Nigerians is, ‘Let’s buy Nigerian. Let’s be intentional about buying petrol refined in Nigeria,” Omokri said.

He expressed delight that the company’s facilities were being maintained by the youth, including women from across the country.