There was a mild drama at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, on Wednesday, January 8, when the presiding cleric veered off from his sermon to address business magnate Aliko Dangote, who was seated in the front row with other dignitaries. Speaking off the cuff, the vicar pleaded with Dangote not to abandon Nigeria during these very challenging times.
“I want to address our brother, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who is here with us… and to plead with him to revisit whatever good plans he has for Nigeria. Sir, that investment in steel you have been thinking about, please don’t abandon the idea. Nigeria is counting on you. Your investments are not for this generation alone. Don’t abandon the country,” the Vicar and Archdeacon of Ikoyi Parish, the Venerable Folorunso Oreoluwa Agbelusi, pleaded.
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The congregation was stunned by the cleric’s unexpected remarks, with some applauding while others looked on in apparent amazement. The import of the cleric’s impassioned entreaties was not lost on the audience, which included the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun; Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia; former CBN Governor, Joseph Sanusi; bankers, and other dignitaries. Dangote himself, looking visibly stunned, nodded gently and managed a smile as the vicar made his case.
The event was a thanksgiving service to celebrate the 90th birthday of elder statesman and culture icon Mr Frank Abiodun Aig-Imoukhuede, which fell on that same day. Dangote, a close family friend of the Aig-Imoukhuede family, is always present at their events, including church services, despite being a devout Muslim. In August 2021, the business mogul was also at the same church for the funeral service of Pastor (Mrs.) Emily Aig-Imoukhuede, the late wife of the nonagenarian being honored on Wednesday.
Aliko Dangote had previously announced that he would no longer proceed with plans to invest in building a steel plant in Nigeria due to frustrations he faced with government officials while trying to get his $20 billion refinery and petrochemical complex operational. While conducting journalists around the complex last June, he spoke of roadblocks erected by various government agencies aimed at crippling the business, noting that the cabals in Nigeria’s oil industry are more powerful than the drug cartels of Mexico and Colombia.
He expressed regret over his decision to venture into the refinery business and indicated that he was holding back on his planned investment in steel development because the country did not seem to appreciate his efforts. Dangote was particularly irked by the government’s regulatory agencies’ push for fuel importation, despite his refinery’s capacity to meet domestic consumption and produce excess for export. The refinery has the capacity to refine 640,000 barrels of crude oil daily, although the NNPC cannot provide that much due to massive oil theft and other challenges.
“The cleric’s comments reflect the deep sense of helplessness among Nigerians, who feel that the government has failed in its basic duties and that only individuals like Dangote can salvage the situation.”
The visiting reporters and media executives, including this writer, were stunned by Dangote’s revelations. Many of us urged him not to be deterred by his negative experiences. In the weeks that followed, journalists rallied in their commentaries and editorials, condemning corrupt government officials for their selfishness, greed, and lack of patriotism in insisting on fuel importation.
Since then, the federal government has made some efforts to address Dangote’s concerns, including selling crude oil in naira to local refiners and discontinuing the push for fuel importation.
It is unclear whether Vicar Agbelusi’s passionate appeal was enough to persuade Dangote to change his mind. However, one thing is certain: Nigeria desperately needs more of Dangote’s unparalleled business acumen and patriotic zeal. I hope others will step up and be counted.
The cleric’s comments reflect the deep sense of helplessness among Nigerians, who feel that the government has failed in its basic duties and that only individuals like Dangote can salvage the situation. I commend Vicar Agbelusi for his sense of purpose. This is why I admire these so-called Orthodox churches—their leaders often have a deeper understanding of their responsibilities. Aliko Dangote is fast becoming a national prayer point.
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The stunted development of Nigeria’s steel industry, exemplified by the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Complex abandoned since the 1980s, is a major reason the nation’s industrial base has not grown. Steel is a critical input for industrial production, used in construction, infrastructure, manufacturing of tools, ships, trains, cars, and more.
Nigeria imports $4 billion worth of steel annually, according to the Minister of Steel, Shuaibu Audu, who spoke at the National Metallurgical Development Center in Jos. “The President wants us to reverse this trend; he wants to ensure that most of the steel consumed in Nigeria is produced locally to reduce pressure on foreign exchange,” the minister stated, in what many would regard as typical Nigerian official rhetoric and “sweet talk.”
Etim is a journalist and author.
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