Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has voiced strong opposition to any attempts to obstruct the progress of the Dangote refinery, a major private sector initiative poised to address Nigeria’s energy and foreign exchange needs.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Atiku emphasized the importance of supporting the refinery, urging Nigerians to ensure that neither internal nor external forces hinder the country’s ability to benefit from this crucial project. He likened the project to a precious child, deserving of dedicated care and support to thrive.

Atiku wrote: “Just as parents take every measure to nurture and develop a new child, the same diligence should be applied to investments, whether local or international. With this perspective, I remain vigilant against any deliberate attempts to block the progress of the Dangote Refinery, which is vital for meeting our energy and forex needs.

“I join many fellow citizens of goodwill in calling on all Nigerians to take decisive action to ensure that no internal or external forces conspire to prevent us from gaining the advantages promised by this highly anticipated and transformative project.”

This statement follows a recent update from Dangote Group, which reported a discrepancy regarding crude oil allocations. Anthony Chiejina, the Group Chief of Branding and Communications, revealed that the company had yet to receive the 26 million barrels of crude oil allocation purportedly facilitated by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for the first quarter of 2024.

While NUPRC claimed to have facilitated the allocation, Dangote Group clarified that they had only received one cargo of crude oil from a domestic producer, with the rest sourced from international traders. “Aside from the term supply we bilaterally negotiated with NNPC, NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer. All other cargoes processed were bought from international traders,” the statement explained.