AGS NEWS – Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, revealed that a friend who previously advised him against investing in Nigeria is now mocking him for not heeding the warning.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, Dangote shared this just as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority claimed diesel from Dangote Refinery was of inferior quality.

Dangote explained that four years ago, a wealthy friend began investing abroad due to policy inconsistencies and influence from interest groups.

Despite Dangote urging him to reconsider for the sake of their country, the friend is now taunting him, saying he was right all along.

Dangote stated that he invested in the refinery to address a significant issue in Nigeria and expressed confusion over why some people were opposing his efforts.

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He mentioned that, at 67 years old, he has little personal need for the refinery and is willing to let the NNPC buy him out if it helps the country.

The Dangote Refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, was completed last year after a decade of construction at a cost of $19 billion.

It aims to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel and save up to 30% of foreign exchange spent on imports.

On Sunday, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority stated it was awaiting new reports on the sulphur content of the diesel produced by the Dangote refinery.

The agency had previously claimed that Dangote’s diesel had more sulphur than imported diesel, a claim Dangote refuted.

NMDPRA spokesman George Ene-Ita said the authority had engineers and scientists at the refinery, and a fresh report would be released soon.

Despite the controversy, the NMDPRA CEO, Farouk Ahmed, noted that the refinery has not yet been licensed to begin operations, and its diesel product was below international standards, a claim Dangote denies.