Nigerians on social media have strongly criticized Kelvin Emmanuel, perceived as a proxy for billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote, for his comments on Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Mr Emmanuel had appeared on Channels TV’s Politics Today, on Monday, where he expressed doubts about the abilities of the refineries to produce petroleum products, stating that “the possibility is almost zero.”
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Many Nigerians, who took to their X accounts, expressed their outrage and disappointment at Mr Emmanuel’s comments.
One user, A.Ayofe(@abdullahayofel), questioned Mr Emmanuel’s motives, asking why he refused to acknowledge any positive developments about the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
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The user also accused Mr Emmanuel of promoting Dangote’s interests and pushing for a monopoly that would make Dangote the sole supplier of fuel to Nigerians.
He alleged that Mr Emmanuel is being funded to carry out the propaganda in favour of Dangote and rubbish the efforts of the NNPC.
In his words: “Why does Kelvin refuse to acknowledge anything positive about the NNPC? Why does he constantly echo Dangote’s stance?
“Why is he pushing for a monopoly where Dangote becomes the sole supplier of fuel to Nigerians? Dangote is a businessman—he only considered reducing prices after the NNPC refineries came online.
“Is Kelvin truly advocating for Nigeria’s best interests, or is he serving an agenda,thereby pushing propaganda?
“Who is funding Kelvin’s narrative?”
Another user, Daddy D (@olutudemola), criticized Channels TV for not providing a balanced argument, noting that Mr Emmanuel was only promoting Dangote’s agenda. The user suggested that the TV station should have brought in someone from the NNPC or an operator to provide a more balanced discussion.
“Atimes display their bias towards specific and targeted industries in which they could have done better. The expert is okay but why not bring in someone from NNPCL or an operator in order to have a balanced argument. The man exudes so much propaganda with his assertions,” he stated.
According to another user, Baba Eleja Ni Sango (DSolabi), Kelvin should have gone to the refineries to substantiate his claims.
He said: “This is why I hate some of Nigeria’s public analysts. They will never investigate any issue of public concern. They just come up with theories and feed Nigerians. Has this man gone to those refineries himself?”
The majority of social media users maintained that Mr Emmanuel’s argument was laced with mischief and urged him to visit the refineries to substantiate the claims made by the NNPC that the refineries are working.
Mr Emmanuel’s comments have sparked a heated debate about the role of private interests in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians are concerned that the influence of powerful businessmen like Dangote may be undermining the country’s ability to develop its own refining capacity.
In a related development, Emmanuel had previously defended the quality of Dangote’s diesel, noting that it is superior to imported diesel.
However, his comments on the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have sparked widespread criticism and accusations of promoting Dangote’s interests at the expense of Nigeria’s national interests.
