Lagos – THE opportunity of the brainstorming session with President Goodluck Jonathan, senior Federal Government officials and principal operators of Nigeria’s private sector is being exploited to reconcile two key private sector operators: billionaire industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and oil magnate, Femi Otedola who have been at each other’s throat for a while.
According to usually reliable presidency sources; “in inviting the two men to today’s meeting, the president made it clear that he needs their experience to take the nation’s economy to the next level.”
The parley is scheduled to hold today in Lagos to flag-off activities leading up to the inauguration of the President for a fresh term of office on May 29, 2011.
No one is very certain when the personal war between the two business moguls started, but it reportedly came to the open whenDangote, noted for his near monopoly in the sugar and cement business in Nigeria, decided to step into Otedola’s equally near monopolistic oil, albeit diesel, turf using a consortium that included his family investment firm, MRS Holdings, managed by his cousin, Mr. Sayyu Dantata to outbid Otedola’s company to take over Chevron’s investment in Texaco local and West African downstream operations.
Speaking at an audience in Abuja with Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General, Prof Jeffrey Sachs, President Jonathan who will preside over the session, said inputs and recommendations from participantsat the session will be put to good use in the fine-tuning of government’s action plan for the next four years.“It will prepare us to hit the ground running after May 29,” he said.
He said the brainstorming session had been scheduled because he wanted his inaugural activities to include not just pomp and pageantry as usual, but also serious preparation for the successful implementation of his Agenda for National Transformation.
Comments are moderated. Please keep them clean and brief.
Visit link:
Moves to reconcile Dangote, Otedola at economy parley