Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Group, has asked Nigerians to patronise only made-in-Nigerian goods and services so as to grow the economy.
Dangote spoke on Saturday during a media tour of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, led by Reno Omokri, ex-special adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and promoter of ‘GrowNairaBuyNaija’.
According to Dangote, Nigerians have a collective duty to grow Nigeria by patronising only made-in-Nigerian goods.
He also said that this is very necessary if Nigeria wants to grow and be at par with more developed countries.
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“I want to encourage all Nigerians to buy only made in Nigeria. When you buy anything made in Nigeria, you are helping to create jobs,” he said.
“And the only way for us to be a stronger nation is to patronise ourselves and be buying made in Nigeria only so that we can encourage, create jobs and prosperity.”
‘REFINERY SHOWS NIGERIA’S FUTURE IN INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION’
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Speaking on the economic importance of the Dangote refinery, Omokri said the refiner is a transformative industrial project that positions Nigeria for the future.
“The Dangote Refinery is not up to date. It is up to tomorrow. It is the future of Nigeria,” he said.
“In the past, shippers complained about bringing goods to Nigeria and leaving their ships empty. However, in the one year that this refinery has been operational, over 650 vessels have left the Dangote Terminal, with 60 percent of those maritime exports going to the United States, and the rest to Brazil, Argentina, and other nations.”
Omokri said the refinery has built its own private port terminals, easing pressure on Nigeria’s public ports while adopting world-class logistics infrastructure.
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“Their ports have the most modern facilities. Then you move into the refinery itself, and nothing can prepare you for the sheer size and scale of what Alhaji Aliko Dangote has done not for himself, but for Nigeria,” he said.
According to Omokri, the refinery has transformed the Lekki Free Trade zone, initiated during President Bola Tinubu’s time as Lagos governor, into “the most valuable commercial real estate in West Africa.”
He said the refinery boasts nearly 100 storage tanks, some capable of holding 120 million litres of product each, and can refine each barrel of crude oil into at least 12 distinct products.
The former presidential aide also commended the refinery’s workforce composition, noting that young Nigerians are driving operations at the massive industrial complex.
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