Thousands of Nigerians, organized by the Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), on Monday staged a massive protest in Kaduna, calling on President Bola Tinubu to take strong measures against those undermining efforts to locally refine petroleum products, particularly at the Dangote Refinery.
The demonstrators, who assembled at Murtala Mohammed Square before marching through the city’s main streets, accused a powerful oil cartel of hindering Nigeria’s economic advancement by obstructing operations of the Dangote Refinery.
Chanting solidarity slogans and holding signs that read “Support Local Refining,” “Crush Economic Saboteurs,” and “Protect Dangote Refinery,” the protesters emphasized their fight was aimed at liberating Nigeria from years of economic manipulation.
This large-scale protest coincided with escalating tensions between Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Two leaders of the group, Igwe Ude-Umanta and Dahiru Maishanu, stressed the importance of calling on President Tinubu to save the nation from a cartel that profits from fuel imports and artificial scarcity, which hampers national development.
“This issue extends beyond Dangote; it concerns Nigeria’s economic survival,” Ude-Umanta asserted.
Read also:
- Breaking the African Middlemen Web for Industrialization: The Dangote Refinery Experience
- Ozoro Kingdom cries out over abandoned NDDC projects, urges presidential intervention
- SAILING AGAINST THE WIND: Bashir Bayo Ojulari’s Many Battles In The Oil & Gas Sector
“The President must take a stand and take action against those sabotaging our progress toward self-sufficiency in refining.”
He noted that the protest, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” was part of a broader campaign to protect local refining from “economic terrorists” intent on keeping Nigeria reliant on fuel imports.
Ude-Umanta also accused certain oil unions and importers of colluding with foreign interests to undermine the Dangote Refinery project, warning that inaction could deter future investments.
“If they succeed in destroying the Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever bring their money here again,” he cautioned.
He further characterized the recent actions of the PENGASSAN as “economic terrorism,” claiming that the union’s disruption of refinery operations was part of a broader scheme to destabilize Nigeria’s efforts toward local refining.
“What PENGASSAN did was not union activity, it was sabotage,” he stated.
“The federal government should have arrested its leaders to prevent others from following suit.
“No one should use labor activism as a cover to commit economic crimes.”
He urged Tinubu to ensure that local refineries like the Dangote Refinery are protected.
