Oil cabals want to cripple Dangote Refinery same way they crippled govt refineries – Pastor Adeboye
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has attacked Nigeria’s oil cabals saying ‘they want to cripple Dangote Refinery, the same way they crippled the Nigeria’s four refineries.
He urged Nigerians to pray for divine intervention in the face of efforts by some oil marketers to thwart the operations of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, following the previous sabotage of Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries.
Adeboye made the call for prayers during the November 2024 Abuja Special Holy Ghost Service themed ‘Total Restoration’, which was held in Abuja.
While Adeboye did not explicitly name the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, his remarks echoed the ongoing attempts by oil marketers to prevent the refinery from functioning optimally.
The Dangote Refinery based in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos is the only facility currently refining petrol in Nigeria, and Adeboye’s comments reflected the dispute between the refinery and oil marketers, who seek to continue importing fuel for personal gain.
However, Pastor Adeboye reminded the congregation that it was God who raised Aliko Dangote to establish a refinery after years of failed attempts to revive Nigeria’s four public refineries, which had consumed billions of Naira with little result.
He questioned the persistence of fuel imports despite Nigeria’s status as a major crude oil producer.
“Are we under a curse?” he asked. “We have four refineries, we poured all kinds of money into them, but none of them is working. But God raised someone to build a refinery that works. He is not my relative, he is not from my village. He is not even a Christian, but he is a Nigerian who says, ‘Why should my people suffer when I have the means to build a refinery that can work?’ Now he is refining petrol, and some people want to stop him from selling it, so they can keep importing.”
Adeboye also pointed out the damage caused by the fuel subsidy, describing it as a significant drain on Nigeria’s resources, contributing to the country’s mounting debts and corruption.
He said that when President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the subsidy in 2023, Nigerians largely welcomed the decision, but oil marketers, who benefitted from the subsidy regime, were furious.
These marketers, Adeboye claimed, have formed alliances with some International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other powerful interests to obstruct the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
This includes restricting access to crude oil and forcing Dangote to import crude from countries like the United States, among others.
He called for prayer for the total restoration of the country, adding that the Nigerians are suffering the consequences, as the prices of essential goods have soared, pushing many items beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
According to him, “The masses are the ones suffering because these marketers, who are bent on keeping imports alive, already have more money than they can ever spend”.
Meanwhile, despite the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s capacity to meet Nigeria’s entire demand for petroleum products – and even to export surplus fuel – oil marketers continue to pressurize the government to allow ongoing petrol imports. This has placed additional strain on the Naira, which has continued to depreciate.
