‘I raised Azikel Boss Eruani from ‘Small Boy’ to business mogul’ – Patience Jonathan

Former First Lady Patience Jonathan has described the Group President of Azikel Group, Dr Azibapu Eruani, as a “small boy” she personally raised and mentored into becoming one of Nigeria’s leading businessmen.

Patience Jonathan said her guidance and encouragement played a major role in Eruani’s early entry into the world of big business.

She made the remarks in a video that went viral on Thursday, during an inspection tour of the Azikel Refinery in Obunagha, Bayelsa State, on Tuesday.

The former First Lady said she introduced Eruani to prominent Nigerian businessmen, including Aliko Dangote and Aminu Dantata, and encouraged him to aim for the same level of success despite being much younger than them.

According to her, Eruani’s boldness in venturing into major businesses at a young age was partly influenced by the encouragement and mentorship he received from her.

She expressed pride in his achievements and his development into a major player in Nigeria’s business sector.

“He’s a boy that I brought up. We are always together. Although he’s the little one among us when we are friends Dangote, Seyi, Dantata, Eruani  among us, he’s the smallest. But I made sure he followed the Dangotes, he followed Dantata.

“Because I’m a woman in their midst, I made sure I told this small boy, ‘Go and follow them, and stop the grammar.’ But when he told me that one day he would be like Dangote, I said, ‘You’re thinking too high.’ I prayed to God to grant him his heart’s desire,” she said.

The former First Lady also recalled how the immediate past APC administration under Muhammadu Buhari initially failed to grant Eruani a refinery licence before eventually approving three.

“During the Buhari administration, he and others came to me and told me they were going to apply for a refinery. I told him, ‘Eruani, your brother, the President, did not give you a refinery.

“Is it the APC government that will give you one?’ I prayed it would happen. But later, they came back and told me they had been given three refineries,” she said.

The inspection coincided with the arrival of the refinery’s Crude Distillation Unit, a major milestone in the development of the $1bn facility.

The 25,000 barrels-per-day plant is a private hydro-skimming refinery designed to process condensate into petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene and other products.

It is set to become Nigeria’s second-largest full-slate refinery and the first major privately owned refinery in the Niger Delta.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, who joined the inspection tour, commended Eruani for his perseverance, noting that he had attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony eight years ago.

Ogbuku described the refinery as an inspiration and a potential catalyst for investment, job creation and economic growth in Bayelsa State, and urged residents, particularly youths, to key into the opportunities it would create.

He also praised the Bayelsa State Government for improving road infrastructure leading to the refinery site and called for continued support for the project.

Governor Douye Diri, who was represented at the inspection by his deputy, Peter Akpe, has consistently backed the project, which is expected to employ hundreds of workers and drive industrialisation in the state.

Other dignitaries at the event included the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Bubaraye Dakolo; Vice President of Azikel Group, Presley Asemota; and Isaac Yalah, among others.

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