News
BREAKING: Tinubu is the ‘godfather’ of my refinery – Dangote
Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, on Thursday, named President Bola Tinubu as the godfather of the Dangote Refinery, for being the brainchild of the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the precursor to the project, reputed to be the world’s largest single-chain refinery.
Praising the President for taking the initiative as Governor of Lagos State, he said that the initiative gave birth to the dream of establishing the refinery, the first and only privately-owned facility in Africa, he said, such a feat qualified him to be seen as the brain-child of the project.
Dangote, who spoke on Thursday during the inauguration of the Lekki Deep-Sea Concrete Road by President Tinubu, also hailed the administration’s “Naira-for-crude” exchange policy as a bold signal of Nigeria’s economic sovereignty.
“It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Your Excellency on your visit to the Dangote Refinery and Petroleum Chemicals Complex, and also to commission Deep Sea, Concrete Road, and other roads which you graciously approved,” Dangote began.
“I must emphasise that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery 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. Today, you are witnessing the tangible fruits of that vision. You are a visionary leader.”
He added that although Tinubu had admitted not envisioning the scale of today’s industrial hub when he initiated the zone, the results speak volumes of his foresight.
“When we were in the car, I asked you a question – did you ever really think about this kind of industrial complex when you were trying to do the Free Trade Zone? And your answer was no. But because you are a visionary leader, what you have seen today is only the beginning. We’ve just started.
“One of your administration’s most transformative initiatives is the historic ‘Naira-for-crude’ policy, which stands out as a clear testament to your commitment to economic recovery and national sovereignty. This bold policy has enabled us at Dangote Petroleum Refinery to reduce product prices consistently and guarantee availability for the overall benefit of Nigerians.”
“Some may think that petrol at less than ₦900 is expensive, but there is nowhere in West Africa where petrol is not selling above $1 – that’s ₦1,600. This policy has also helped significantly in stabilising 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 economic policy and business planning.”
Also lauding Tinubu’s Nigeria First policy, the African Richest Man (ARM) said he was excited that the President was thinking in the direction of Nigeria reducing reliance on imports and prioritising local production and patronage, saying: “Importation means import of poverty and export of jobs.
“This policy aligns with our group’s vision of producing what we consume to promote self-sufficiency in meeting the basic needs of our people. We all have to align with this policy. In America, they practise America First. Here in Africa, you are the first to say Nigeria First. This is highly commendable.
“Our group will be expending about ₦900 billion on eight road infrastructure projects across the country. The Deep-Sea Concrete Road you’re commissioning today is just one. We are also working on roads in Borno State to link Chad and Cameroon. The refinery provides critical raw materials for several industries — plastics, pharmaceuticals, packaging, construction and more. Its operations and the broader downstream value chain will generate significant employment for Nigerians. Many filling stations that had shut down are now back in business. There are no more fuel queues, and there will never be again.”
Reaffirming the synergy between private enterprise and purposeful leadership, Dangote said: “This refinery symbolises what can be achieved when the private sector and a purposeful government work together. And I believe, Mr. President, you are the right partner to make Nigeria great. Your leadership is decisive and reassuring.
“By the time we start practising your overhauled tax regime, everyone will come to Aso Rock to thank you for that policy. You’ve directed a team of reform-minded technocrats — when I say ‘the lion,’ I think he knows himself. In 2024 alone, we paid about ₦402 billion in taxes including VAT, corporate, education, and health taxes. We remain Nigeria’s highest tax-paying company. Mr. President, you are a very courageous leader. Please continue with the great work you are doing. Mr. President, I want to just say one thing. Sir, the main road going into our refinery is going to now be called Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road.”
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
Slavery is a wound on the memory of the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIV, said on Monday, as he issued a fresh apology over the participation of the the Catholic Church in the centuries-long delay in condemning slavery.
The pontiff stressed the position of the church after his predecessors had offered similar apologies, said: “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Writing in a major text that warned about “new forms of slavery” behind the digital economy, the joined John Paul II, who denounced slave trade in 1992 before issuing a sweeping request for forgiveness for historical injustices in 2000 and Pope Francis who also repeatedly denounced contemporary forms of slavery.
In his own vein, Pope Leo, pointed out that the Church owned slaves until the Middle Ages and it also advised European sovereigns on how to justify the enslavement of “infidels.”
He stressed in “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a document focused primarily on the rise of artificial intelligence, that it was only in the 19th century that “a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.”
Hear him: “It is true that past events cannot be judged anachronistically, as though the moral criteria that matured over time had always been available. Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery. This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached.”
Qowiy Oloyede, a resident of Oriya Sokoto road, Atan Ota, is currently telling operatives of the Ogun State Colice command, the reasons that pushed him into making a video suggesting that a part of the state was under attack of terrorists, knowing same to be fake.
Oloyede, reports say, dragged to the police on May 23 by one Ayinla Sodiq, who accused him of creating and sharing a misleading TikTok video falsely claiming that bandits had invaded the Atan Ota community..
Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication, which broke the news, said on immediately being questioning by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Oloyed, allegedly confessed to fabricating the video to gain followers on social media.
Apart from admitting that that he created the fake bandit attack content to gain followers and trend online, said in a video currently on social media the herder featured in the clip was a cattle rearer who usually grazed cows behind his shop and had initially refused to participate before eventually agreeing.
Oloyede, who also claimed he could neither read nor write, adding that his apprentice wrote the caption accompanying the video posted online, maintained that he had only produced and posted two similar videos, one on Monday and another on Wednesday.
The command, said to have recovered photographs and video evidence linked to the fake publication during preliminary investigation, added that the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Abeokuta, for further investigation, warning residents against spreading false information capable of causing panic and public disorder, and for the public to verify information before sharing content on social media.
-
News4 weeks agoBREAKING: Makinde, Turaki, lose! *S’Court affirms Wike’s PDP leadership
-
News2 weeks agoTinubu to African leaders: Copy Nigeria, produce your way out of poverty
-
Features4 weeks agoJim Nwobodo: The Sun shines, thrills, at ‘The Vanguard Awards’
-
News6 days agoBREAKING: US-Nigeria troops slaughter 175 ISWAP fighters
-
News2 weeks agoWhy we pegged presidential ticket forms at N60million – NDC
-
Columns3 days agoDear General Gowon: That apology you’re running from is your nemesis
-
News2 weeks agoGowon on civil war: My book is to put records straight, remove falsehood
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING! Coast brightens for Obi, as NDC zones presidency to South