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Dangote says he might not have dabbled into refinery project

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Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote

Dangote says he might not have dabbled into refinery project

Africa’s richest man and industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has expressed commitment to empowering Nigerian engineers and building local capacity through large-scale industrial projects.

Dangote gave the assurance while receiving a delegation from the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, on Monday.

He said that the scale of the refinery was more than initial expectations.

He said: “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.”

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.

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Dangote said that 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 Refinery, Aliko Dangote

He said 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 said.

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: “We appreciate that.

“There are many more projects coming, and with them, we will continue to develop our engineering base.

“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.”

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

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

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“Eighty-five per cent 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 said.

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

The Chairman, NSE Lagos Branch, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, described the refinery as an engineering breakthrough for Africa.

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

“The NSE exists to ensure continuous professional development, and this visit is part of that goal.

“We have heard so much about the refinery, but seeing it ourselves has been extraordinary.”

She praised the high level of Nigerians’ involvement in the refinery, saying that local manpower was more than foreign expertise.

“If we have more of this kind of development in Nigeria, unemployment and poverty would be in the past.

“We are extremely proud of what we have seen. Nigerians are taking the lead here,” she said.

Kesha emphasised that such industrial initiatives would not only help to address domestic challenges, but could also position Nigeria as an exporter of both products and professional expertise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NSE delegates also toured the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as “an enormous national asset.”

 

Dangote says he might not have dabbled into refinery project

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Twitter ex-CEO introduces ‘BitChat’ internet-free messaging app

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July 9, 2025

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Jack Dorsey, former chief executive officer (CEO) of Twitter

Twitter ex-CEO introduces ‘BitChat’ internet-free messaging app

Jack Dorsey, former chief executive officer (CEO) of Twitter (now X), has introduced BitChat, a messaging tool that allows users to send encrypted messages without internet access.

The app, which is still in its early stages, was revealed by Dorsey in a recent post on X.

He described it as a personal project exploring Bluetooth mesh networking, message encryption, and decentralised communication.

“My weekend project to learn about bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models, and a few other things,” he wrote.

A beta version of the app is currently available via TestFlight for iOS users, while its source code and white paper have been published on GitHub.

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How It Works

According to the documentation shared by Dorsey, BitChat uses a store-and-forward architecture where messages are relayed from one Bluetooth-enabled device to another until they reach the intended recipient.

The document said the app supports end-to-end encryption, with messages secured using Curve25519 public keys and authenticated through the noise protocol framework (NPF).

Its interface is minimalist, inspired by internet relay chat (IRC), a text-based system common in the early internet era.

BitChat aligns with Dorsey’s long-standing interest in decentralised technologies.

The American entrepreneur had also backed Bluesky, a decentralised social media app, before leaving its board in May 2024.

He stepped down as Twitter CEO in 2021 and has since focused on Bitcoin infrastructure and digital payments through his company, Block, Inc. (formerly Square).

Twitter ex-CEO introduces ‘BitChat’ internet-free messaging app

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Dangote refinery slashes petrol price to N820/litre

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5 hours ago

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July 9, 2025

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Dangote Refinery slashes petrol price to N820/litre

Dangote Petroleum Refinery, yesterday, slashed the depot price of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, to N820 per litre from N838 per litre as competition heightens in Nigeria’s domestic market.

The adjustment was also due to the drop in crude oil prices to $70 per a barrel yesterday, from more than $77 per barrel in June 2025.

However, other operators also adjusted their depot prices at different rates in order to be competitive under the current circumstances.

According to petrolprice.com, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery made the highest adjustment while Fatgbems adjustment to N837 per litre from N838 per litre was the least.

Also, Integrated adjusted its depot price to N836 per litre from N837 per litre while Bovas adjusted to N836 per litre from N837 per litre.

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AIPEC adjusted its depot price to N837 per litre from N840 per litre while First Royal adjusted to N838 per litre.

In an interview with Vanguard, yesterday, a close watcher of the domestic market and Chief Executive Officer of Petrolprice.ng, Olatide Jeremiah, said: “We are seeing a lot of dynamics in the global and domestic market. With the ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict, crude oil prices have dropped to about $70 per barrel from more than $77 per barrel.

“Consequently, operators in the domestic market have adjusted accordingly. We look forward to seeing more adjustments in the coming weeks.”

Recently, the Dangote Refinery slashed the gantry price of petrol by 4.5 per cent to N840 per litre, from N880 per litre.

Checks by Vanguard indicated that the reduction was based on the slide in crude oil price to $67.50 per barrel from more than $70 per barrel in the global market.

The global oil market and by extension petroleum prices have been unstable in the past few weeks, due mainly to the Israel-Iran conflict.

Recently, depot owners reduced the prices of petrol by five per cent when the price of Nigeria’s Bonny Light dropped to $68 per barrel from more than $80 per barrel in the global market.

Dangote Refinery slashes petrol price to N820/litre

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Updated: NADDC, Toyota, Carloha, Weststar, LSM, Nord, others confirm 2025 Auto Summit participation 

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July 8, 2025

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Updated: NADDC, Toyota, Carloha, Weststar, LSM, Nord, others confirm 2025 Auto Summit participation 

 

Many bjg organisations and prominent stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the forthcoming Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) slated for July 31st, 2025 in Lagos.

The National Automotive Design and Development Council, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Carloha, Weststar Associates Limited, Lanre Shittu Motors (LSM) and Nord are among other stakeholders that have confirmed their participation in this year’s event.

Apart from NADDC, other major organisations partnering with NAJA to host this year’s programme are the Nigeria Association of Automotive Manufacturers (NAMA) and African Association of Automobile Manufacturers (AAAM).

Riding on the huge success of the maiden edition held last year and with a lot of interest coming stakeholders and prospective participants, NAJA says the event can only get better.

NAJA in a statement gave the main theme of this year’s Summit holding in Lagos as “NIGERIA FIRST: LOCAL CONTENT AS CATALYST FOR AUTOMOTIVE ECONOMY”.

It quoted Mike Ochonma, the Summit Organizing Committee Chairman, as saying, “Last year, NAJA premiered the Nigeria Auto Industry Summit (NAISU) as a platform for stakeholders and participants to converge and critically x-ray the auto industry and proffer solutions that will take the industry to greater heights for the benefits of all players in the industry and Nigerians at large.

“For this year, critical government agencies like NADDC, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and others have also confirmed their participation for this year’s event.

Theodore Opara, Chairman of NAJA, also lent his voice, saying, “NAISU has come to stay as evidenced by the wholehearted embrace by the stakeholders in the auto industry.

“And the interests already received this year show that this event is on the right trajectory for the benefit of all in the industry.

“Also, this year promises to radically work on entrenching local content and work more on the long-awaited Auto Industry Development Plan of the federal government, which also remains a focal point of discussions in the sector.

“This year’s NAISU promises to be a better version of last year and plans are already in top gear to ensure all expectations are met and exceeded.”

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