The Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on Thursday described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Complex as President Bola Tinubu’s brainchild.
Dangote gave the credit during the President’s visit to the complex in Lagos State.
“It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Your Excellency on your visit to the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals Complex and to commission this concrete road and other roads you graciously approved.
“I must emphasise that the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals Complex is in many ways your brainchild.
“The Lekki Free Trade Zone, the site of this industrial complex, was established during your tenure as Governor of Lagos, and I think, Your Excellency, today, you are witnessing tangible fruits of that vision,” Dangote said.
He described Tinubu as a visionary leader.
“I can tell you for a fact that what you have seen today is nothing. We have just started.”
According to him, one of the Tinubu administration’s most transformative initiatives is the Naira for Crude Policy.
He said that the policy stood out as a clear testament to the administration’s commitment to economic recovery and national sovereignty.
This bold policy has enabled us to reduce product prices consistently and guarantee availability for the overall benefit of Nigerians.
“ It has also helped significantly in stabilising the prices of petrol, diesel, jet fuel, LPG, and polypropylene to their lowest levels ever.
“The effect of this development is the stabilisation of our currency, a critical element in the development of economic policy and budgeting by businesses,” Dangote said.
He also lauded the administration’s recently introduced Nigeria First Policy, which aimed to drastically reduce reliance on foreign goods and services, prioritising local patronage in investment decisions, business operations, and consumption habits.
“This aligns with our group’s corporate vision of producing what we consume to promote self-sufficiency in meeting the basic needs of our people.
“Importation means import of poverty and export of jobs.
“We all have to align with this policy of Nigeria First,” Dangote advised.
In the meantime, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as phenomenal.
He thanked the owner, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for establishing the refinery, saying that it demonstrated his belief in Nigeria.
Tinubu remarked while inaugurating the Lekki Deep Sea Port Access Route in Lagos State, and some other significant projects across the country.
“I have inspected it. It is a great, phenomenal, massive investment.
“ I thank you, Aliko, for believing in us, in your country.
“God bless Lagos, God bless Nigeria,” he said.
Tinubu also praised the Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, for his commitment to Nigeria’s infrastructure development.
According to the President, infrastructure is the backbone of any industrialisation, economic development, and job creation of any nation.
He advised Umahi not to be discouraged by critics.
“My role is to affirm our commitment as an administration to deliver infrastructure across the country.
“We get misconceptions out there.
“I am very proud and honoured to have you in our team.
“On my way here, I witnessed the significant progress at Section Two of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, with over 10km of the 55km stretch already done.
“The Trans-Saharan Trade Route, another visionary project, is advancing already. It will reconnect Calabar to Abuja via Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa,” he said.
Tinubu said he had directed accelerated design on one of the legacy projects – the Akure- Jos- Bauchi-Gombe corridor – to enable procurement to start soon.