ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on Nigerians to actively defend the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The appeal was delivered on Tuesday by the governor’s deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, at the launch of the All Progressives Congress’ e-registration hands-on device/application, themed “Train-the-Trainer” for the South-West Zone, held at Lagos House, Marina.
Sanwo-Olu further stressed the importance of acknowledging the contributions of Aliko Dangote to the nation’s economy, particularly referencing the Dangote Refinery located in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.
He said, “We all said we should sign the Petroleum Industrial Bill in this country. So, those refineries in San Francisco that are now empty because we are refining here there will be fights, but it’s not our fight. Should we not produce jobs for our people?
“People say, ‘Oh, you’re supporting the Dangote Refinery.’ Why not? When the man took 3,000 Nigerians to India to train for a year, are they not Nigerians? The man has built 35,000 flats in Ibeju Lekki to house his employees. That site sits on land bigger than the whole of Victoria Island. Is it not in Nigeria? We must protect it. It’s a Nigerian investment.”
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By late September and into October 2025, the Dangote Refinery had been entangled in a disagreement with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria over alleged dismissal of some workers, resulting in an industrial action that started on September 29, 2025, and affected operations at the $20bn facility.
The dispute was later resolved through government-mediated dialogue, leading to the reinstatement and redeployment of the affected workers to other Dangote Group projects.
Continuing his remarks, Sanwo-Olu stressed that the sheer scale of Dangote’s investment cannot be trivialised.
“If somebody spends $20bn, is it a joke? The combined annual budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, and all 774 local governments is about $62bn. The man spent $20bn one-third of that total. Is it a joke?” he said.
The governor also highlighted that governance is “not a joke,” urging Nigerians to recognise and appreciate the economic reforms being driven by President Tinubu.
“Governance is not a joke. And our President is making the right decisions. People who don’t understand can criticise, but let us go out there, be proud, and defend this government. They are doing the right things,” he added.
He described the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy as the correct policy move.
The subsidy removal, which was announced in May 2023 by President Tinubu, was according to the government intended to restore fiscal balance and encourage investment.
Although the reform has yielded benefits, it has also triggered a high cost of living for many Nigerians.
“Surgeries are never easy,” the governor said, defending the subsidy removal. “The President has performed the surgery; it’s healing now, and we are beginning to see the results.”