- Dangote Refinery to Employ 70,000 Workers
Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Saturday said the ongoing Dangote Refinery project would employ at least 70,000 Nigerians when it is completed.
The governor, who was on a tour of the refinery over the weekend, explained that presently 34,000 able Nigerians are working on the site, this number he said would surge to over 70,000 when the project is completed in few months.
Emefiele thanks Dangote Group for continuously creating jobs and empowering Nigerians.
He said: “The reason that I am here today is to see what is going on on site.
“This time that the economy is going through its own challenges there is need for us to diversify the Nigerian economy from oil to other areas where we have abundant resources.
“The 650,000-bpd capacity refinery when operational will not only satisfy local consumption but will also position Nigeria as a major exporter of petroleum products.
“Nigeria is so central and this refinery will serve almost the whole of Africa which will lead to cheap cost of freight.
“This project is so strategically positioned that it will even make the final price of petroleum within Nigeria and even outside Nigeria to be lower than those imported outside the African continent.
“We need to encourage other Nigerians and we will keep saying this. Nigerians must stand tall and be ready to come out and support their country,” the CBN governor said.
The governor explained that apart from the low interest rate put in place to encourage Nigerians, the government was also working on other policies to improve economic activities in the country and ensure job creation for all Nigerians.
“This is the time for other Nigerians who have been making money in services to come out and join Dangote to help us grow the economy because government alone cannot grow the economy
“We will want to support any Nigerian or foreigner who finds Nigeria as a good investment destination. Whatever we need to help you we will do it.
“That is why we are forcing the banks today that they must do what is right by lending to credible persons and act as catalyst to our economic development,” Emefiele said.