Thousands Welcome Naanlong Daniel in Piapung Ahead of Assembly Primary, Launches Ward Coordinators,

Thousands of supporters on Thursday welcomed the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Naanlong Daniel, to his hometown of Piapung in Mikang Local Government Area, where he inaugurated ward coordinators ahead of the forthcoming House of Assembly primary election.

The event, held at the Piapung Community Hall, attracted party faithful, community leaders, youth groups, women associations, and supporters from across the constituency.

Addressing the gathering, the Speaker charged the newly inaugurated ward coordinators to remain focused and intensify grassroots mobilization ahead of next Wednesday’s primary election.

He urged them to reach every part of the constituency in order to strengthen support and ensure effective coordination during the election period.

Daniel expressed appreciation for what he described as the overwhelming support and confidence reposed in him by the people of Piapung and the wider constituency.

According to him, his campaign remains issue-based, with the development and progress of Mikang as the top priority.

“With God on our side and the support of the people, we are committed to purposeful leadership, sustainable development, and impactful representation for the people of Mikang and beyond,” he said.

The Speaker disclosed that the screening process for beneficiaries of his scholarship scheme had been completed and announced that the programme would soon commence to support students in various tertiary institutions and academic programmes.

He stated that his administration has continued to improve access to education through scholarship initiatives and educational support programmes aimed at easing financial burdens on parents and students across the constituency.

Daniel also reaffirmed his commitment to supporting farmers through the distribution of fertilizers to boost agricultural productivity and food sufficiency in the area.

He further highlighted several projects and programmes executed under his leadership, particularly in the areas of education, agriculture, youth empowerment, and infrastructure development.

The Speaker assured residents of continued efforts toward rural transformation through the execution of additional development projects across communities in Mikang Local Government Area.

He also pledged to further upgrade the community hall he built in Piapung to make the facility more beneficial and convenient for residents.

In his remarks, John Poesmang commended the Speaker for what he described as impactful leadership and quality representation, noting that the people of Piapung were proud of his achievements and developmental strides.

Speaking on behalf of the newly inaugurated coordinators, former councillor of Yepwest Ward, Hon. Hangkop Yohana, thanked the Speaker for the confidence reposed in them and pledged loyalty and commitment toward ensuring the success of the campaign.

The event ended with chants of solidarity and renewed support for the Speaker as supporters reaffirmed their commitment to his leadership and vision for the constituency.

Mr Dangote said the resistance came from traders, shippers and local beneficiaries of Nigeria’s long-running petrol subsidy arrangement who saw the refinery as a threat to billions of naira in profits.

Speaking in an interview with Nicolai Tangen, chief executive officer of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, he said these interests worked to delay access to project land and frustrate the refinery’s take-off.

“All this would have been blocked by what you call the mafia in oil business to make sure that we don’t come and address these issues,” he said.

He said securing land to build his world-class refinery took five years, with one site delayed for three and a half years and another for one and a half years, as vested interests sought to stop the project.

“But we were not deterred at all. We were actually focused. We knew what we were doing,” he added.

Mr Dangote explained that for decades Nigeria spent huge sums importing refined petroleum products despite being a major crude producer, creating a system that enriched a few players at the expense of the wider economy.

He said subsidy payments alone reached nearly $10 billion annually.

“The people who were actually benefiting because Nigeria was giving almost about $10 billion every year as subsidy… there are shippers who are making tonnes of money, there are traders who are making tonnes of money,” he said.

He added that a small group also profited from local product allocations under the subsidy regime.

“So these are the people that are not agreeing for us to settle down because they believe that no, we are coming here to displace them. Of course, that’s what we have done now,” he said.

The refinery, which required the construction of an entirely new port, roads and water infrastructure, employed 67,000 people during construction, the African billionaire said.

Mr Dangote said the project became far larger and more difficult than initially imagined, but abandoning it was never an option.

“When you get to the middle of the ocean, you realise that the tide was bad. When you go forward, it’s bad. When you go backwards, it’s bad. So you have to work forward,” he said, using the analogy to paint a broader picture of the difficulties he encountered while building the refinery.

He said the refinery has now changed the market structure and significantly reduced the influence of those who depended on imports and subsidy payments.

The plant currently sources over half of its crude from Nigeria while also importing from Angola, Libya and the United States.

“We source about 56 per cent from Nigeria and some from Angola. We buy quite a bit from Angola, we buy from Libya, and we buy from the US. At one point, we were doing about seven to eight cargoes of WTI from the US. But we’re getting more of Nigeria’s crude now, he said.

Mr Dangote explained that the refinery is currently buying 21 cargoes every month in Nigeria. “That’s how big we are,” he added, stating that they are more than doubling the refinery.

“You know, in the next 30 months, we will be at 1.4 million barrels per day, which is huge,” he noted.