By Miriam Humbe
Management of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals have debunked a report published on the online media platforms claiming that the company employed 11,000 skilled workers from India while allegedly neglecting youths from Nigeria and other African countries.
The Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina said the report was written with malicious intent as it did not reflect the number of skilled Nigerians on site.
Recall that amid encomiums from eminent personalities, which included former President Muhammadu Buhari and five other African Heads of State, President of the pan-African Conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote said in May 2023, that the newly commissioned 650,000pbd Refinery would employ over 100,000 Nigerian youths.
The company, according to him, now has over 33,000 employees.
The Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer said that the magnitude of the project required specialized skilled workforce from all over the world.
Chiejina said that while over 30,000 Nigerians were engaged among the skilled workforce, at the peak of construction in the Refinery complex, 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese workers were among the skilled workforce.
He also said Nigerians on the project demonstrated high level of technical competence as many hidden skills were discovered among them.
The Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer therefore advised the public to discountenance such malicious and twisted reports, and instead focus on the potential impact of the project on the overall economy and well-being of Nigerians even as the Dangote Group continued to be the leading light in employment generation.
