In a jaw-dropping revelation that has set the Nigerian business and political spheres on fire, former First Lady Patience Jonathan has finally pulled back the curtain on the meteoric rise of Dr. Azibapu Eruani, the Group President of Azikel Group.
According to “Mama Peace,” the billionaire oil mogul who is currently building the Niger Delta’s first major privately-owned refinery was once just a “small boy” she personally groomed and pushed into the exclusive league of Nigeria’s wealthiest tycoons!
The astounding disclosure was made in a viral video recorded during a high-profile inspection tour of the colossal $1 billion Azikel Refinery in Obunagha, Bayelsa State.
“Stop the Grammar and Follow the Money!”
Speaking with her signature candor alongside top dignitaries, the former First Lady detailed how she masterminded Eruani’s bold entry into the big leagues by forcing him to rub shoulders with Africa’s richest men, including Aliko Dangote and Aminu Dantata.
“He’s a boy that I brought up. We are always together,” she confessed. Revealing the intimate dynamics of their elite circle, she added, “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.”
In a hilarious yet profound piece of mentorship advice, she recalled telling a young Eruani: “Go and follow them, and stop the grammar!”
When Eruani boldly declared that he would one day reach the heights of Aliko Dangote, even his mentor was stunned. “I told him, ‘You’re thinking too high.’ But I prayed to God to grant him his heart’s desire,” she admitted. Today, that towering ambition is a billion-dollar reality.
The Ultimate Shocker: A PDP ‘Boy’ Getting APC Blessings!
If transforming a “small boy” into a billionaire wasn’t sensational enough, Patience Jonathan dropped another bombshell regarding the fierce world of Nigerian politics and oil licenses.
She recounted the shocking irony of Eruani securing not one, but three refinery licenses from the immediate past APC administration of Muhammadu Buhari—despite getting nothing from her own husband’s administration!
“During the Buhari administration, he and others came to me and told me they were going to apply for a refinery,” she revealed. “I told him, ‘Eruani, your brother, the President (Goodluck Jonathan), did not give you a refinery. Is it the APC government that will give you one?'”
Against all odds, the APC government delivered. “Later, they came back and told me they had been given three refineries!” she exclaimed.
A $1 Billion Mega-Dream Becomes Reality
The former First Lady’s explosive revelations perfectly coincided with a monumental milestone for the Azikel Group: the highly-anticipated arrival of the refinery’s massive Crude Distillation Unit.
Set to be Nigeria’s second-largest full-slate refinery, the spectacular 25,000 barrels-per-day hydro-skimming plant will process condensate into premium petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, and kerosene, forever changing the economic landscape of the Niger Delta.
The Managing Director of the NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, who was present at the tour, was visibly moved. Having attended the groundbreaking ceremony eight years ago, Ogbuku hailed Eruani’s relentless perseverance, calling the refinery a massive catalyst for job creation and wealth in Bayelsa.
The Bayelsa State Government is fully backing the mammoth project, with Governor Douye Diri (represented by his Deputy, Peter Akpe) pledging continuous support and praising the massive industrialization it brings to the state. The star-studded inspection was also graced by the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Bubaraye Dakolo, Vice President of Azikel Group Presley Asemota, and Isaac Yalah, among other heavyweights.
From a “small boy” learning the ropes to a billionaire industrialist reshaping Nigeria’s energy sector, Dr. Azibapu Eruani’s story—masterminded by Patience Jonathan—is truly the stuff of legends!
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