The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned what it described as ongoing attempts to undermine the operations of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Company, urging the protection of the multi-billion-dollar facility as a strategic national asset.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tanko Baba, the ACF expressed concern over “thinly disguised attempts” to sabotage the refinery, located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The forum highlighted several challenges faced by the refinery since inception, including crude oil supply issues with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), regulatory bottlenecks, pricing disputes, and industrial actions by unions.
“From conception, implementation, and inauguration, the Dangote Refinery has continued to face unrelenting onslaughts,” Baba stated.
The ACF also questioned what it described as “forceful” demands by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for workers to unionise, stressing that while union membership is a constitutional right, it must remain voluntary. It urged that the refinery be allowed to stabilise operations before such pressures are applied.
“It is concerning that PENGASSAN continues to flout a subsisting court order barring disruptions to refinery operations,” Baba added, aligning the forum’s position with recent comments by Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume.
The ACF warned that continued unrest could discourage both local and foreign investors. “Putting down the Dangote complex is a potent disincentive to domestic and international investors because it sends the wrong signals,” the statement read.
Among its recommendations, the forum urged Federal Government-led negotiations to resolve disputes, sanctions against defiance of court orders, and the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry into recurrent strikes at strategic facilities. It further suggested declaring the refinery and similar assets as strategic national infrastructure.
The group also called on labour unions to act responsibly and avoid actions that could inadvertently advance external interests aimed at stalling Nigeria’s industrial growth.
“The Nigerian labour movement must guard against unwittingly playing into the hands of international conspiracies determined to frustrate indigenous industrial initiatives,” the ACF warned.
Commissioned in 2023, the Dangote Refinery is Africa’s largest single-train facility and is expected to significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
NAN
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