‎Yoruba Council, Groups Laud Dangote Refinery, Warn Against Falsehoods

The Yoruba Council Worldwide (Igbimo Apapo Yoruba Lagbaye), the apex umbrella body for all Yoruba indigenous people globally, alongside more than 30 civil society groups, has commended Dangote Refinery for its consistent reduction in the price of petroleum products.

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‎Led by Aare Oladotun Hassan, the delegation on Friday paid a courtesy visit to the refinery, expressing pride in mobilising support for Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the refinery’s management amid the ongoing disputes with DAPMAN, NUPENG, IPMAN, and other oil and gas unions over fuel pricing.

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‎Aare Hassan described the refinery as a “huge blessing” that had come to stay. According to him, Dangote’s intervention has helped dismantle entrenched oil cabals whose actions and “unholy N70 charges per litre by NUPENG and other unions” had stagnated the nation and inflicted hardship on Nigerians.

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‎“We have watched with keen interest to dissect the real issues. All we see is hatred, misinformation, misconception, and lies of monopoly cries,” he said.

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‎He noted that rather than commending Dangote for investing in a 650,000 bpd capacity refinery, 4,000 CNG tanker trucks, and 6,000 cargo trucks—totalling 10,000 vehicles worth ₦2 trillion—while creating over 40,000 jobs, the unions chose to spread falsehoods.

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‎The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to introduce higher tariffs to discourage fuel importation, increase crude supply to Dangote Refinery, and grant the company oil exploration licences. Hassan also called for the nationalisation of oil wells, stressing that many licensed sites were moribund.

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‎He further appealed to Nigerians to protect the refinery, noting Dangote’s past achievements in reducing dependence on sugar and cement importation.

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‎“Hence the need to end the age-long pains and agony of fuel importation leading to aggravated injustice,” he said.

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‎“Dangote is a patriotic Nigerian per excellence who put his all to offer Nigerians relief and smiles by reducing the price of PMS from ₦1,030 to ₦851. Dangote Refinery also reduced diesel from ₦1,700 to ₦1,020 within a year, with huge storage capacity to sustain Nigeria—a great landmark targeted towards building Nigeria of our dreams.”

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‎The group warned the oil unions to desist from “peddling lies against Dangote Refinery,” while commending Mr. Devakumar V. G. Edwin, Vice President, Oil & Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, who represented Alhaji Aliko Dangote during the visit.

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‎Following an onsite assessment, the delegation declared the refinery “exceptionally excellent” and in line with global best practices. In recognition of Dangote’s contributions, the council resolved to confer on him the prestigious Omoluabi Royal Icon title of Aare Atunluse Omoluabi Oodua Agbaye.

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‎The group also presented Dangote with a nomination letter for the Nigeria Heroes Awards as Legend of Democracy, scheduled for October 10, 2025, at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja.

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