According to Ibifiri Bobmanuel, the President of the Rivers Entrepreneur and Investors' Forum, the actions taken by the Rivers State Government and some local governments in the state were responsible for the decision to relocate the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from Rivers State to Lagos State.
Bobmanuel revealed in an interview that the forum had engaged with the management of the Dangote Group and had also written to the federal government, urging them to prevent the relocation of the refineries to Lagos.
However, it was discovered that the demands made by the Rivers State Government and the local governments where the refineries were supposed to be located, namely Okrika and Eleme, were excessive. These demands ultimately led the Dangote Group to move the refineries to Lagos. Bobmanuel expressed his disappointment with this outcome, stating, "The Dangote refinery was to be situated in Rivers State and later they made a U-turn and went to Lagos, and we were very miffed by the whole approach."
The Rivers Entrepreneur and Investors' Forum had actively reached out to the Dangote Group, writing multiple letters and attending meetings with them. It was revealed during these meetings that the necessary land acquisition and agreements had been made for the investment to be situated in Okrika and Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State. However, due to the pushback and excessive demands from the state government at the time, the Dangote Group had no choice but to relocate the business to a more welcoming location.
Bobmanuel emphasized the need for the Rivers State Government, local governments, and communities to understand how to negotiate with business owners in order to attract investments. He stated, "This brings us back to what we at the Investors' Forum have always talked about. We've always felt the Rivers State Government, the local governments, and the communities need to understand the language of businesses. You can only imagine the amount of impact the refinery is going to have on the IGR (Internally Generated Revenue) of Lagos State. Imagine if that investment was situated in Rivers State."
Bobmanuel called on the incoming government to recognize the importance of private participation in governance within the state and to take proactive measures to ensure a favorable business environment that attracts investments.
