Buhari, Emefiele, not Tinubu, deserve credit for Dangote refinery – Rufai Oseni

Arise Television anchor Rufai Oseni has defended former President Muhammadu Buhari and ex-CBN governor Godwin Emefiele for the successful establishment of the Dangote Refinery, rather than President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Oseni made these remarks on Monday, in response to claims made by the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, about the economic achievements of the Tinubu administration.

Adedeji had previously appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, discussing the administration’s economic performance, including increased government revenue and the Dangote Refinery’s role in supplying local fuel. However, Oseni argued that the refinery was enabled by policies and economic conditions under Buhari’s administration, particularly the stable naira during Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor.

"When they try to say Dangote Refinery is a product of this administration? It’s not a product of this administration. It was the same Buhari administration that kept Naira stable, and Emefiele was the one that kept Naira stable so that Dangote would be able to build that refinery," Oseni stated. Oseni also pointed out that the government had not met some of the crude supply commitments made to the Dangote Refinery, highlighting that the refinery still needs to source Nigerian crude on the international market.

While acknowledging some economic gains by the Tinubu administration, Oseni stressed that the government must also consider the detrimental effects of its policies on Nigerians and businesses, such as a forex deficit of over 3 trillion and GDP contraction of over 100 billion.