Management of Dangote Refinery has said that over 30,000 skilled Nigerians work with expatriates to build Refinery Complex, debunked a report that the company employed 11,000 skilled workers from India while allegedly neglecting youths from Nigeria and other African countries.
According to the Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, the report was written with malicious intent as it did not reflect the number of skilled Nigerians on site.
He said, the magnitude of the project requires specialized skilled workforce from all over the world and 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 comeptence as many hidden skills were discovered among them.
He 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 as Dangote Group continues to be the leading light in employment generation.
The Sub-Saharan African Skills and Apprenticeship Stakeholders Network had alleged that Dangote refinery engaged 11,000 skilled workers from India while neglecting youths from Nigeria and other African countries.
The network noted that the reason for the neglect was that youths from Nigeria lacked the adequate skills needed to be engaged in the assignment.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its two-day meeting in Abuja, the Network noted that it had resolved that each country in Africa develop a national skills qualification framework that will enable ease of labour migration across the continent.
The communiqué, which was released on Wednesday, was signed by the Secretary-General of the regional organisation, Ousman Sillah.
In the communique, SASASNET noted that it observed, “The need for SASASNET to engage in vigorous public awareness and engagement to change the negative perception of the public on the value of skills and apprenticeship; the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria under construction has engaged over 11,000 workforce from India, while our youths lack the required skills to be engaged; Africa should avoid a repeat of the same in the upcoming $25 billion Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline traversing the Gulf of Guinea to Europe; the absence of National Occupational Standards in many countries.”
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Speaking further on its observations, the network noted that the absence of pathways to recognise skills obtained in the informal sector in most sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, has led to a lack of opportunities for skilled labour migration across African regions.
It also fingered the negative social perception of skilled workers alongside the weak interface that exists between trade unions/associations and skills/apprenticeship development.
However, Dangote Refinery management has refuted the story, alleging that the corporation engaged 11,000 skilled workers from India while ignoring youths from Nigeria and other African countries.
The company’s Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said that the story was produced maliciously since it did not reflect the number of skilled Nigerians on site.
He stated that the magnitude of the project necessitates specialised skilled workforce from all over the world, and that while over 30,000 Nigerians were employed as part of the skilled workforce, at the peak of construction in the Refinery complex, 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese workers were employed as part of the skilled workforce.
He also stated that Nigerians working on the project displayed a high degree of technical competence, with numerous hidden skills uncovered among them.
