Dangote Refinery hires 30,000 Nigerians, refutes ‘twisted’ report
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Dangote Refinery has so far employed 30,000 Nigerians and 9,650 expatriates, just above half its target of about 60,000 staff strength to power the largest refinery in Africa located in Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos.
But the company refuted an online report it hired 11,000 skilled workers from India to the neglect of workers from Nigeria and other African countries.
Dangote Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said the report was written with malicious intent, as it did not reflect the number of skilled Nigerians on site.
The magnitude of the project requires a specialised skilled workforce from all over the world, he explained, and among them are 30,000 Nigerians engaged at the peak of construction at the complex, 6,400 Indians, and 3,250 Chinese.
He also confirmed Nigerians demonstrated a high level of technical competence as many hidden skills were discovered among them, per The PUNCH.
Chiejina stressed the Dangote Group is a leader in employment creation and urged the public to ignore twisted reports and instead focus on the potential impact of the refinery on the economy and on the wellbeing of Nigerians.
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Dangote Refinery to generate 135,000 jobs, 12 mw of electricity
Dangote Refinery expected to end Nigeria’s oil woes will also create 135,000 permanent jobs and generate 12 mega watts (mw) of electricity to help boost the national grid, according to suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele.
Emefiele made the disclosure in May at the launch of Dangote Oil and Petrochemical Refinery in Lagos by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Then, we insisted that under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, that the ongoing projects and efforts will be actively implemented to diversify the economy and make the country globally competitive but people still doubted us,” he said.
“Aside from enumerating our strategic efforts in agriculture and other critical sectors is selling projects that we highlighted to our foreign investor community was this project, the refinery …. They doubted us.
“They doubted our willpower to succeed with this project. In hindsight … I would appreciate their skepticism because they do not understand how a single individual, a man like Dangote, could build a refinery capable of serving an entire nation and continent.
“I’m glad to say that this project comes with numerous economic benefits to Nigerians as, in the first instance, it will generate thousands of direct jobs of over 135,000 permanent jobs.
“I am also proud to say that electricity of about 12,000 mega watts of electricity would be generated.”
Emefiele also projected significant forex exchange (FX or forex) savings as well as easing the fiscal burden of the federal government.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted “Dangote [the man] came to Lagos with nothing about 45 years ago, but he is now Africa’s richest man.”
Sanwo-Olu described Dangote as a detribalised man who saw the wealth of Lagos, adding he is a Lagosian who has invested in the prosperity of the state and Nigeria.
Meeting national demand
Aliko Dangote, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, said his first goal is to ramp up production of various fuel products to ensure that within this year, the refinery can fully satisfy national demand for quality products.
“There will be constant availability of high-quality fuels for our transportation sector, the refinery will also make available to our industries vital raw materials for wide range of manufacturing,” he said.
“Our Group’s corporate vision is driven by our mission to produce what we consume and to promote self-sufficiency in the basic needs of our people.
“We decided on a plant designed with state-of-the-art technology and a scale in a capacity that will be a game-changer in Africa and the global market.”
Dangote Refinery has capacity to produce 650,000 barrels per day (bpd). It is the largest single train oil refinery in the world, the largest in Africa, and the seventh largest oil refinery globally.
It can meet the energy demands of both Nigeria and Africa, according to Dangote.