Dangote: I wouldn’t have built refinery if I understood challenges involved

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, says the scale of his refinery in Lagos State was more than initial expectations.

Dangote said this while receiving a delegation from the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State on Monday, May 19, 2025.

“Honestly, if we had fully understood the magnitude and challenges involved, we may not have even attempted it, but it is because we didn’t know what we were into initially and the courage, or maybe,  naivety  that got us this far,” the billionaire businessman said.

He noted that the refinery was designed to handle massive volumes, with up to 600 product vessels and about 240 crude oil tankers expected annually.

Dangote said challenges faced during the construction, included working on swampy terrain, extensive land clearing, and dredging 65 million cubic metres of sand from 20 kilometres offshore.

Dangote stated that all were in an effort to protect local fishing communities.

“We had to uproot thousands of trees manually. Sand-filling alone took 18 months but we made a deliberate decision to preserve the livelihoods of those living nearby, especially fishermen,” he added.

When asked by an engineer how Nigerian professionals could be given more opportunities and how they could take destiny into their own hands, Dangote said: “There are many more projects coming, and with them, we will continue to develop our engineering base.

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“Even when we don’t have enough jobs to give, we must still train people.

“Skills are assets — whether they are used here or abroad. We want Nigeria to earn from exporting knowledge, not just oil.”

Dangote disclosed that while the project was initially planned for up to 50,000 foreign workers, it eventually used only 12,000 to 14,000 expatriates.

Dangote said the majority of the company’s workforce – including fitters, welders, and engineers – are Nigerians.

He stated: “85% of the commissioning work was done by Nigerians. It is not because I am an engineer, but because they have proven to be among the best.

“Today, we are our own EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractors. We are building this country ourselves.”

He urged the NSE members to see the visit as a step toward aligning with a national vision of self-sufficiency and industrial excellence.

Speaking, the Chairman of the Lagos NSE, Olukorede Kesha, described the refinery as an engineering breakthrough for Africa.

Kesha commended Dangote’s initiative, saying the refinery was the first of its kind in Africa.

The Star