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• October 3, 2025
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Had Dangote known, he would have acted differently – Mahdi Shehu

Public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has said Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, would have made different choices if he had known the troubles that awaited him with the $20 billion Dangote Refinery project in Nigeria. In a reflection he shared on X, Shehu drew a parallel between literary giant Chinua Achebe and the billionaire businessman,
Had Dangote known, he would have acted differently – Mahdi Shehu

Public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has said Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, would have made different choices if he had known the troubles that awaited him with the $20 billion Dangote Refinery project in Nigeria.

In a reflection he shared on X, Shehu drew a parallel between literary giant Chinua Achebe and the billionaire businessman, describing both as global figures who cannot be ignored in their chosen fields.

“Just as Achebe once said that if he were to be caught in a corner reading, it would be his novel Arrow of God, so too if one were to ask Dangote his biggest investment regret, he would say: building my refinery in Nigeria,” Shehu wrote.

According to him, the challenges Dangote faced from government agencies and unions show how hostile Nigeria’s investment climate can be. 

He recalled the prolonged tussle with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) before the refinery got its licence.

“NNPCL blackmailed and insulted him with dangerous, stringent terms. He even went public, challenging them to buy him out,” Shehu said.

He also pointed to the recent dispute between the refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

“They pretended to be shareholders when they are nothing more than parasites and intruders in a well-structured company,” he wrote.

He added that the negotiations with government and the union ended up favoring PENGASSAN “by 90% against an investor who risked $20 billion.

“Next time around, Dangote must factor in Parasitic unionism, likely blackmail out of envy, emergence of smaller countries out of a big country, before risking investing in Africa.

“Had Dangote gone ahead to buy Arsenal football club @$4.5 Billion as earlier planned, he would have been more at ease, reaping less strenuous returns and fame, with nobody blackmailing and sabotaging him.” 

Shehu warned that the ongoing humiliation of Dangote serves as a red flag for both local and foreign investors. 

“Had Dangote known, he would have acted differently,” he added.

Had Dangote known, he would have acted differently – Mahdi Shehu

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We’re not slaves, enough is enough – Doctors warn Nigerian Govt

The President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, says doctors will no longer work under slave-like conditions. Suleiman gave this warning on Thursday while speaking in an interview on Arise Television. He asked members to limit call duties to a maximum of 24 hours beginning October 1. He also explained
We’re not slaves, enough is enough – Doctors warn Nigerian Govt

The President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, says doctors will no longer work under slave-like conditions.

Suleiman gave this warning on Thursday while speaking in an interview on Arise Television.

He asked members to limit call duties to a maximum of 24 hours beginning October 1.

He also explained that the new directive is part of measures to address burnout, poor welfare, and mass exodus of doctors from Nigeria.

Suleiman also stated that the association has issued a 30-day ultimatum to the federal government to act on its demands.

“If you look at the statistics, in the last 10 years, we have lost close to 15,000 to 16,000 doctors from this country to other countries.

“Ten years ago, the federal government, due to one of our actions, sacked about 15,000 doctors on one strike. But they brought all of us back,” he said.

He warned that the shortage has forced doctors to take on unsafe workloads.

According to him, the decision to limit calls followed NARD’s annual general meeting in Katsina, where members unanimously resolved that doctors are not slaves and must prioritise their wellbeing.

We’re not slaves, enough is enough – Doctors warn Nigerian Govt

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No Nigerian president delivered inspiring speech after 1960 – Kukah

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said no Nigerian president has been able to deliver a memorable speech with the same impact as the one given at her independence in 1960. Kukah spoke while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Thursday, noting that Nigeria has failed to create a
No Nigerian president delivered inspiring speech after 1960 – Kukah

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said no Nigerian president has been able to deliver a memorable speech with the same impact as the one given at her independence in 1960.

Kukah spoke while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Thursday, noting that Nigeria has failed to create a unifying national dream.

The fiery cleric noted that nation building thrives on mythologies and visions that stir collective imagination, citing the “American Dream” as an example.

Kukah added that Nigeria’s military leaders, by suppressing intellectual engagement in governance, prevented the growth of ideas that could have shaped a stronger nation.

He said: “Nation building is about mythology. It’s not about reality. The America today is a myth, the American Dream.

“But you see, Nigeria has not had the ability and the capacity to create a dream.

“I’ve always said, for example, close your eyes and ask yourself after the 1960 speech, whether there is a speech of any president of Nigeria that has made you feel wow, or whether there is a speech that, like JF Kennedy’s 1963 speech that is so memorable that you have to ask yourself, what was I doing when this speech was delivered?

“That speaks to another dimension, which is, what is the intellectual content of governance?

“Because once the soldiers found that they couldn’t win the intellectual argument, they are scaffolding.

“They didn’t allow intellect to become a dominant force. Therefore, as they said, people were teaching what they were not paid to teach.”

No Nigerian president delivered inspiring speech after 1960 – Kukah