Group Takes Legal Action Against Lagos Over $100M Dangote Refinery Land Payment

The Lagos State Government has been taken to the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, in a bid to compel the release of information concerning Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s claim that he paid $100 million for land used to build his $20 billion refinery at the Lekki Free Trade Zone. This claim was made by Dangote in July 2024 during a visit by the leadership of the House of Representatives, where he asserted that neither the Federal Government nor the Lagos State Government gave him or his company any incentives for the refinery project.

Dangote clarified, “Yes, the Lagos State gave us a good deal, but we paid $100 million for the land. It wasn’t free land; we paid for it.” This has prompted the De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum to file a motion, seeking transparency on the payment and how it was used. The groups argue that the people of Ibeju-Lekki, where the land is located, deserve an account of the money, given the region’s poverty and neglect.

The motion, filed under the Freedom of Information Act and Nigeria’s Constitution, is directed at Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Attorney General, the Accountant General, and the Permanent Secretary of the Lands Bureau. The applicants are requesting an Order of Mandamus to compel the Lagos State Government to disclose detailed information about the payment, including which account the funds were deposited into and how they were spent.

Yakubu Eleto, lead counsel for the applicants, highlighted that during his tenure as governor in 2015, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) publicly stated that Dangote received the land for free to help stimulate the Lagos State economy. However, Dangote’s recent statement contradicts this, as he insists he paid $100 million for the land.

Eleto emphasized that the people of Ibeju-Lekki have long suffered from neglect and deserve to know the truth behind the land transaction. He added that the case, filed on September 6, 2024, has not yet been assigned to a judge but is expected to be reviewed on September 10, 2024.

The legal challenge seeks to hold the Lagos State Government accountable and provide transparency regarding the large sum claimed by Dangote, as the applicants demand clarity on how the land, supposedly paid for by the business mogul, was handled by the state.