Africa’s richest man and owner of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote
has said that ongoing $17 billion Gas pipeline, fertiliser,
petrochemicals and refineries project at the Lekki Free Trade Zone
(LFTZ), Lagos, would provide unhindered availability of petrol in the
country.
He pointed out the the Gas pipeline when completed would also generate power for the country.
Dangote, who took the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo SAN, and a
host of dignitaries round the facility, added that the Gas pipeline
would increase revenues to government, increase demand for domestic
crude Petroleum of petrochemicals and foreign exchange from exports.
He asserted that the Gas pipeline site is the largest industrial site
in the world and there is an extremely good relationship with the
community.
“This Gas pipeline sight is eight times the size of Victoria Island.
It was designed to process a large variety of crudes, including all the
African crudes, a range of Middle Eastern crudes and US crudes. The
refinery has flexibility to convert kerosene to jet/diesel,” he added
Dangote noted that his business policy is not solely for profit
making but to make Nigerians happy, saying “I am a proud Nigerian. I do
not own even a 9inch block outside Nigeria. When I travel, I stay in a
hotel”.
He stated that for instance, “Dangote cement, if we take it to Ghana, we will make N500 on each bag, but we didn’t do that.
We (Dangote Group) are attacking the economy with a policy of no more
import, which will create jobs. We are suffering today because we have
not diversify the economy of Nigeria.”
Expressing satisfaction over the ongoing Gas pipeline, Vice President
Osinbajo, said the project will supply three billion cubic feet of gas
daily and had the potential of solving the problem of electricity
shortage which had plagued the nation for decades.
According to him, the investment as a whole was an incredible
industrial project being the largest and the most ambitious in Africa
and possibly the entire world.
Addressing journalists after a two-hour presentation on the entire
project, Osinbajo described the Gas pipeline as a major asset for the
country, if it can be done.
“For me, that is the most important project that could be done in
this country. It will be a major boost for industrial development,” he
stated.
Osinbajo explained that the sub-sea installation, estimated at N500
billion, would go all the way from Bonny in Rivers State through
Ogedegbe, Olokola to Lekki and Escravos Lagos pipeline and then West
Africa Gas Pipeline
Talking about securing the refinery, Osinbajo said the pipeline the
was installed under the sea. “It is a subsea project. It is fortified
and goes into the sea.
It is not what anybody can go there and vandalise with the way it is designed. It is designed to prevent vandalisation.
It is designed very deep into the sea,” the vice president
maintained. Osinbajo opined that at the completion of the Gas pipeline,
it is meant to refine 650,000 barrels per day.
He said, “By all projection, it is the largest in the world. It has a
petro-chemical plant. It also has fertilizer plant, which is projected
to be the largest in the world. “The refinery will take off in the first
quarter of 2019. I think the sub-sea gas pipeline,
which is very important project, is meant to take off in 2018. “The
gas pipeline project there. It is an incredible industrial undertaking.
It is possibly the largest and the most ambitious on the continent
today.
It is truly inspiring” Dignitaries that accompanied Osinbajo to the
refinery site are the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi;
Minister of Works, Power & Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN);
Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah;
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and former Ekiti State Governor,
Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo among others.
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