President of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, has praised Nigerian engineers for their outstanding performance in the construction of his $20 billion, 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery, stating they outshone their Indian counterparts.
Speaking during a recent media briefing amid his face-off with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Dangote highlighted his commitment to job creation in Nigeria.
According to him, the engineers trained and deployed by the refinery not only delivered beyond expectations but are now in high demand abroad.
“I can tell you today when we built this refinery, the Nigerian engineers we hired performed better than the Indians. Eighteen of them are now expatriates in Qatar,” he revealed.
Dangote also noted that Nigerians will play a leading role in his next major project, a new fertiliser plant.
“For this new fertiliser plant we are building, the majority of the engineers will be Nigerians,” he added.
His remarks come against the backdrop of NUPENG’s allegations that the refinery was engaging in anti-labour practices, particularly over the hiring of drivers for its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks. The Dangote Group has since denied the accusations.
Despite criticism from some stakeholders in the downstream sector over its foray into fuel distribution, Dangote Refinery insists the move is in the best interest of the country. The refinery began fuel rollout in September 2024 and recently announced the start of its petrol distribution scheme.
