The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has raised the alarm over what it described as a deliberate plot by entrenched interests to cripple the operations of the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery, warning that the move could destabilize Nigeria’s fragile economy and discourage foreign investment.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T.A. Muhammad-Baba, the northern socio-political group said the refinery — Nigeria’s largest and most modern indigenous crude oil processing plant — had faced “an unrelenting onslaught” since its inception.
According to the ACF, the challenges confronting the refinery — ranging from regulatory interference to crude supply disruptions and labour disputes — are “evidently the handiwork of subterranean cabals determined to maintain their suffocating grip on the nation’s oil sector.”
Muhammad-Baba said: “From conception, implementation and commissioning, the Dangote Refinery has faced obstacles clearly orchestrated by vested interests uncomfortable with its potential to break the decades-long cycle of inefficiencies, subsidy rackets and sharp practices in Nigeria’s petroleum supply chain.”
The Forum particularly condemned what it called the “forceful attempts” to compel Dangote Refinery workers to join the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), describing it as coercive, unconstitutional, and a breach of workers’ fundamental rights.
It expressed dismay that PENGASSAN allegedly refused to comply with a subsisting court order restraining it from disrupting operations at the facility.
“It should worry all law-abiding citizens that PENGASSAN continues to disregard a valid court order,” ACF lamented.
The Forum threw its weight behind calls by Senators Adams Oshiomhole and Ali Ndume, who had urged workers to allow the refinery to stabilize before pressing for unionization.
The ACF further warned that sustained attacks on the multi-billion-dollar refinery could erode investor confidence and damage Nigeria’s reputation as a viable business destination.
“Putting down the Dangote Petroleum complex is a potent disincentive to both domestic and international investors. It sends the wrong signal about Nigeria’s readiness for industrial development,” the statement noted.
Describing the refinery as a “strategic national asset,” the Forum urged the Federal Government to provide it with special protection under national security provisions by enlisting it in a National Register of Strategic Assets.
The group also called for the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry to identify and punish individuals or groups behind recurring industrial actions that paralyze critical industries.
“We call for a judicial commission of enquiry to unmask those who weaponize strikes in vital industries. No group should be allowed to sabotage the economy under the guise of labour activism,” the statement read.
While welcoming ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government, Dangote Refinery, and labour unions, ACF expressed hope that the truce being brokered would be permanent.
“The Dangote Refinery must not be allowed to fail. Protecting it is not about one businessman, but about defending Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and future,” the Forum stressed.
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