Engineering Graduate Lands Dangote Refinery Job After Nearly 100 Applications, Shares Experience
- Abdullahi Kabir Umar completed his NYSC in early 2025 and spent months sending out nearly 100 job applications with little response
- The Nigerian graduate shared on LinkedIn how the prolonged job search pushed him to the edge of giving up before a life-changing call arrived
- Umar was selected as part of the Pioneer Graduate Trainee cohort at Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals, the world's largest single-train refinery
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Abdullahi Kabir Umar, a Nigerian graduate, has shared the story of how he secured a position at Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals after a gruelling stretch of unemployment following his National Youth Service Corps programme.
Writing on LinkedIn in September 2026, Umar described the months after his NYSC in early 2025 as a period that tested him in ways he had not anticipated.
Source: UGC
He sent out close to a hundred job applications and received mostly silence in return. There were nights, he admitted, when he seriously considered quitting his search altogether.
Engineering graduate shares how he got Dangote Refinery job
What kept him going, Umar wrote, was returning to his original motivation every time doubt crept in. That persistence eventually paid off when he received a call informing him that he had been selected as part of the Pioneer Graduate Trainee cohort at Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals, described as the world's largest single-train refinery.
He described the feeling as something he had long dreamt of but struggled to believe would actually arrive.
Umar used his post to single out Gloria Evelyn Byamugisha and the HR team at the refinery, commending them for running a selection process he described as genuinely merit-based. He noted that no connections or shortcuts were involved, and that for candidates like himself who entered with only their qualifications and drive, that fairness carried enormous significance.
Graduate sends message to fellow Dangote Refinery trainees
He also directed a message of gratitude toward Alhaji Aliko Dangote, acknowledging the scale of what has been built on Nigerian soil and expressing that beginning his career inside such a facility is a privilege he does not take lightly.
Addressing his fellow pioneer trainees directly, Umar called the moment a historic opportunity to learn at a world-class level. He urged them to approach the work with humility and full commitment, adding that the ambitions tied to Vision 2030 demand engineers who understand that greatness is assembled gradually, through every process, decision, and detail.
His LinkedIn post closed with three words that captured his mindset heading into the role: grateful, focused, and ready to build.
In a chat with Legit.ng, Abdullahi explained what he observed about the selection process.
His words:
"As for the selection process itself, I have to say — it's one of the most thorough and fair I've encountered. I walked into Dangote Refinery with nothing but my qualifications and hope. I didn't reach out to anyone for help, and I don't know a single soul in the system. All I brought to the table was my best effort and whatever capability I had — and that was enough."
In a related story, UNILAG's best graduating student shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan, while another graduate staged a one-man protest over unemployment.
LASU BGS shares admission experience
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Lagos State University's (LASU) best graduating student opened up about her admission experience.
In an insightful interview with Legit.ng, the young lady shared her admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
