President Buhari commissions Dangote Refinery  

President Muhammadu Buhari has officially unveiled the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.

The state-of-the-art refinery is expected to not only make the country self-sufficient in refined products but also position it as a potential exporter of surplus products.

The presence of distinguished Heads of State from Ghana, Togo, Niger, Senegal, and a representative of the President of Chad graced the ceremony.

In his speech,  Buhari hailed this achievement as a significant milestone for Nigeria’s economy while recognising its transformative impact on the downstream petroleum products market throughout the African region.

The President extended his appreciation to the Dangote Group, led by its visionary founder, for their remarkable investments that have played a pivotal role in revitalising Nigeria’s economy.

He said, ‘‘This mega industry we are commissioning today is a clear example of what can be achieved when entrepreneurs are encouraged and supported and when an enabling environment is created for investments and for businesses to thrive.

‘‘I am confident that my successor, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will sustain the improvement in our economic and business environment and strengthen the framework of our public-private partnership policies to accelerate the pace of our economic growth and development.

‘‘I am happy to leave our economy in very competent hands,’’ he said.

‘‘I urge and encourage our other great entrepreneurs to emulate this iconic Nigerian industrialist and join the Government in accelerating our growth in order to realize our country’s globally recognized economic potential.

‘‘When I travel around Africa and meet and engage my brother Heads of State (and I am delighted some of their Excellences are here) I often sense a quiet expectation that our country is blessed with resources and human capacity to lead Africa’s rise to economic prosperity and the attainment of Agenda 2063 – ‘The Africa we all want.’

‘‘But to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063, Africa must come together – we must integrate our economies, eliminate barriers to trade and energize our youthful population to scale up our productive capacity.

‘‘We must create necessary conditions for our private sector to grow and partner with the public sector to accelerate economic growth across the continent.

‘‘We must not allow outside powers to use some of our leaders to destabilize our economic and political trajectory,’’ he said.