Adeboye Calls for Prayers to Protect Dangote Refinery
By Patience Ikpeme
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has urged Nigerians to pray for divine intervention to protect the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which is currently facing challenges from oil marketers reportedly intent on maintaining fuel importation as a profitable practice.
Pastor Adeboye’s call for prayer came during the November 2024 Abuja Special Holy Ghost Service, themed ‘Total Restoration’. Without directly naming the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Adeboye’s words reflected the current tension between the refinery and oil marketers, highlighting the broader struggle within Nigeria’s oil industry as the nation strives for self-sufficiency in fuel production.
Located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, the Dangote Refinery is Nigeria’s only operational refinery, aimed at ending the country’s reliance on fuel imports. Pastor Adeboye noted that God had empowered Aliko Dangote to build the refinery after the failure of Nigeria’s four public refineries, despite substantial public investment. Adeboye questioned why, as a leading crude oil producer, Nigeria continues to depend on imported fuel, asking, “Are we under a curse?”
The renowned pastor expressed concern that while Dangote’s refinery has started refining petrol, powerful oil marketers are allegedly working to prevent its operations by lobbying for the continued importation of fuel, motivated by personal gain. “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 stated.
Adeboye further criticized Nigeria’s former fuel subsidy regime, which he described as a significant drain on the country’s resources. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed the subsidy in 2023, many Nigerians welcomed the move, viewing it as a chance to stabilize the economy. However, Adeboye pointed out that oil marketers, who profited under the subsidy, have not been supportive, allegedly aligning with international oil companies and other powerful interests to restrict the Dangote Refinery’s access to local crude oil. As a result, the refinery has resorted to importing crude, including from the United States, to maintain operations.
This alleged interference has had ripple effects on the economy, driving up prices of essential goods and worsening the country’s foreign exchange situation. The Naira has depreciated under the weight of continued fuel imports, despite the Dangote Refinery’s capacity to meet Nigeria’s full demand for petroleum products and export surplus.
In a related development, the Crude Oil Refineries Owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN) recently urged the federal government to safeguard local refineries from what they termed “unfair competition” by international petroleum traders, in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). This move aims to support local refinery operations like Dangote’s in order to reduce reliance on imports, protect the Naira, and relieve economic pressures on ordinary Nigerians.
Pastor Adeboye concluded his message by calling for prayer for “total restoration” of Nigeria, asking God to protect the nation’s interests and prevent the disruption of efforts aimed at self-sufficiency. “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,” he noted, adding that Nigerians must remain vigilant and prayerful to counteract these forces.
The clergyman’s message resonates as Nigeria faces a critical juncture in its energy sector, with the potential to stabilize domestic fuel supply through the Dangote Refinery, while addressing broader economic challenges impacting the nation.
