By Dele Sobowale
“Our refinery has recorded 22 incidents of sabotage” — Dangote
Nigerian history, since my return from the US in 1974, has always made me to thank God, that I not only read History as an elective subject as an undergraduate in the US; but, that the interest remains abiding.
In fact, if I had not ended up in Economics/International Relations, History would have been my preferred subject. When Harvard Historian Barbara Tuchman wrote that “History does not repeat itself; man does”, she was establishing a truth which has played itself out in Nigeria several times in the last 65 years. Irrespective of the position one takes about the refinery, Dangote’s allegation of sabotage of his refinery is one aspect of the controversies which must be condemned by everybody.
Before die-hard enemies of Alhaji Dangote conclude that Dele Sobowale has been “settled” by Dangote, let me state outright that I have met him only once face to face in my life. Since then, I never requested an appointment; so, he never had to grant or decline one. I think we are both happy about that. Despite that caveat, it is a fact that Dangote is one of thousands of publicly-exposed individuals whose activities fall within the purview of matters dealt with on this page. I have a primary responsibility to our readers to comment on the activities of his companies; and even himself; insofar as they affect the rest of us. But, I also have a sacred responsibility to be fair to Dangote as a Nigerian citizen who should not suffer harm, in every way imaginable, from any biased commentary made by me.
Every statement must be substantiated
Sabotage of an industrial/manufacturing complex can have extremely fatal consequences well beyond the point at which the act(s) occur.
“When an old man dies; you lose a library.”
Let me tell a story about a factory in Bompai, Kano in the early 1980s. It was in a plastic manufacturing company. A salary/wage dispute had erupted between Management and Union with both sides refusing to compromise. Negotiations were still in progress when a small group of factory workers decided that the Union leaders were too soft on Management; they had other ideas about how to force issues and obtain a result favourable to the junior workers.
Their idea was simple and straightforward; it had everything going for it except commonsense. Three of them would sneak into the deserted premises and set fire to a small tool shed; and send a threatening ultimatum to Management demanding to be paid the new wages demanded by Union leaders – or else another facility would go up in smoke. They actually set fire to the tool shed after posting an anonymous letter to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer from the Post Office.
Unintended results occurred. A plastic factory is mostly a highly inflammable work place. Additionally, highly combustible materials had been moved near the tool shed a day before. The fire they started engulfed not only the tool shed but ignited fire all over the plant. Kano State Fire Services were overwhelmed. The entire factory and two other plants next to it were destroyed eventually. What started out as a small act of sabotage ended everybody’s careers. Moral of the story: there is no predicting where intended small acts of sabotage will end.
“Better a declared enemy than a lukewarm friend,” according to Napoleon.
That was why I was alarmed when Dangote announced several acts of sabotage at the refinery. If a plastic factory is a highly dangerous place to fool around, a refinery is ten times worse. Without knowing what the specific acts of sabotage were, I strongly believe that one corporate crime, which is what sabotage is, should be regarded as one too many. Left to me, a traitor is worse than an enemy; you can defend yourself as best as you can against a declared adversary. The saboteur stabs you in the back. Even the worst critic of Dangote must grant that he has a solemn duty to protect his investment. He borrowed heavily to establish it. There are other stakeholders, including Lagos State, who don’t want the refinery to go up in smoke. Saboteurs, and their comrades, focus only on Dangote and their resentment of him and his management style. Permit me to skip any comments on those aspects of the trending conflicts. Interest, right now, is on ensuring that the refinery fulfills the dreams of all well-meaning people globally by serving as the nucleus of re-industrialisation of Nigeria.
A modest proposal
“You don’t negotiate unless you are willing to compromise.” Nelson Mandela.
It has been repeated several times that there are at least two sides to every controversy. As the Americans observed when sliced bread was first introduced, “no matter how thin you slice the bread, there will always be two sides.” I have learnt from several years of observing conflicts globally that seldom is right on one side. As Head of Family, four times, in Lagos, it has been my guiding principle to listen to all the parties, each claiming absolute right, in order to find the bases for compromise. That attitude was reinforced when I undertook training in Mediation and Negotiation in the early 2000s.
That said; it must be pointed out that among various nationalities I have been privileged to live with, Nigerians tend to be the people most likely to take each disagreement as if it is the last. Every relationship is threatened with dissolution the minute there is a serious controversy. Our political leaders, who form and break up political parties, with the ease at which three or four years old kids crack up biscuits, symbolize the rest of us. Organisations, sacred and secular have sprung up within a generation and have broken into factions in less than a generation – defined in demographics as thirty years.
I am under no illusion that it will be easy to have a lasting rapprochement between the warring parties. It will be difficult. However, as an eternal optimist on such matters; I take solace in the observation that “difficult and impossible are two different things.” Given sufficient goodwill and desire to ensure that the refinery achieves its laudable objectives, a satisfactory solution is possible. One thing is certain: total failure is not an option. There is too much at stake for Nigeria for that.
The greatest obstacle; identifying the mediators
“Mediators are like juries involved in a delicate case.”
In the US, where serious cases are subject to jury trial in order to arrive at a just decision, jury selection can often take weeks. One frequent stumbling block is finding private citizens who either have never heard of the matter or have not decided one way or another about the verdict. It is often a lengthy process. If the case is big enough, it has been in the news for a long time; public opinion has built up, for or against one party.
Anything regarding Dangote in Nigeria is a feast for local and global media. This matter is only one of several which have divided people on social and regular media. Few people can claim to be neutral on it. However, we can still borrow from the American jury system. Jurors are often asked if they can be neutral despite pre-trial publicity. Quite a few can and they are selected to handle the case. I honestly believe we can have Nigerians who can mediate this dispute satisfactorily
The post We must save Dangote Refinery at all costs appeared first on Vanguard News.
