Business magnate and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has acknowledged the pivotal role played by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, in the successful construction of the Dangote Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
Dangote made this known in a video shared on social media, where he disclosed that the project initially faced serious obstacles due to the presence of multiple traditional shrines on the land earmarked for the refinery.
According to him, construction activities were stalled because workers were unwilling to operate on the site, which housed more than 19 shrines believed to have spiritual significance.
“I must sincerely appreciate the Ooni of Ife for making this refinery possible,” Dangote said. “When we arrived at the site, there were over 19 shrines, and no one could go near the place to work.”
He explained that the traditional ruler personally visited the location and instructed that all the shrines be removed, despite concerns surrounding their spiritual implications.
“The Ooni stood his ground and said the shrines should be cleared. He told them to let the gods confront him directly,” Dangote added. “Your Royal Majesty, I am deeply grateful because without that bold decision, this refinery might never have been built.”
The Dangote Refinery, situated within the Dangote Industries Free Zone, is the world’s largest single-train refinery, with a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Dangote had previously revealed that his company paid $100 million to acquire the land from the Lagos State Government, but progress on the project was delayed for years due to community-related challenges linked to the shrines.
The refinery commenced operations in 2024 and is expected to significantly reshape Nigeria’s oil and gas sector by reducing reliance on fuel imports, stabilising supply, and generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the country.
