It is now a fact in plain sight that Aliko Dangote owns and runs the whole of Nigeria.

The Federal Government yesterday stated that they begged Dangote to complete his oil refinery by 2019 to enable their only coherent flagship economic policy of ending refined petroleum product import.

This is a staggering and new position for the country to find itself in. This is all down to a series of government administrations and their respective failure to diversify the economy leading to Dangote achieving near monopolistic power in many industries.

In most developed economies, there is a body which polices the business sector in order to prevent the situation which we in Nigeria have actively encouraged.

The anti-trust areas of most governments are large and powerful because history has shown that too much power concentrated in the hands of one individual is not conducive to the public good.

Russia is run by oligarchs but now Nigeria has become a dictatorship.

No Government now or in the future can survive without the support of Dangote.

This has now been announced publically by the Federal Government in respect of their only economic policy which has the chance to help the lives of ordinary Nigerians, that of reducing import of fuel products.

There is now nothing that Dangote can not request of the Government to support his growing empire.

The further announcement yesterday of the magnitude of the Dangote power plants to produce many times the quantity of electricity currently available in the country tightens his strangle hold.

No one doubts his savvy and brilliance.

His objectives are currently aligned with the needs of the country.

But make no mistake, once his needs or the needs of his heirs diverges from the path of the people, there will be great suffering.

What a position for citizens to be in.

Our current hope of lifting the nation from poverty lies in the hands of one individual while the Government chooses to kill off competition and put all their eggs in the Dangote basket.

Mark my words, it will end in tears.

http://nairainsider.com/insider-insights/official-dangote-runs-country/