Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has alleged that a coalition of oil cartels in Nigeria, in partnership with international oil companies, is working to hinder private refineries like the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Speaking at the November 2024 Abuja Special Holy Ghost service, Pastor Adeboye urged Nigerians to pray for divine intervention against these oil marketers, whom he accused of creating hardships by attempting to block the refinery’s operations.
He referenced past incidents in which Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries faced sabotage, wasting billions with little to show in operational success.
The cleric pointed out that it was divine inspiration that led Aliko Dangote to establish a functioning refinery after repeated failed efforts to revive Nigeria’s public refineries.
He questioned why Nigeria, a major crude oil producer, continues to depend on fuel imports and lamented the dysfunctional state of the country’s refineries.
“Are we cursed?” he asked. “Despite having four refineries and spending vast sums on them, none of them operates effectively. Yet, God raised someone—who isn’t my relative, from my village, or even Christian, but a Nigerian who said, ‘Why should my people suffer when I have the resources to build a working refinery?’ Now, as he begins producing fuel, some are trying to prevent him from selling it so they can maintain their control over imports.”
AFRIPOST reports that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has recently arranged to purchase fuel directly from Dangote Refinery. Meanwhile, Nigerians continue to face high fuel prices, paying between N1060 and N1200 at NNPC stations and other outlets.