A group under the aegis of Arewa Social Contract Initiatives has described the face-off between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria as a calculated assault on Nigeria’s economic future.
The National Coordinator of the Group, Sani Yusuf Adamu made the observation while addressing a news conference shortly after an emergency meeting of its national executives in Kano on Wednesday.
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According to the group, the crisis is not a mere industrial dispute, but a calculated assault on Nigeria’s economic future, orchestrated by vested interests threatened by the nation’s journey to self-sufficiency.
“We, the Arewa Social Contract Initiatives, alongside other concerned Nigerian citizens raise the alarm over the coordinated and deliberate attempts to sabotage the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The recent actions by the PENGASSAN– -ordering the shutdown of crude and gas supplies to the refinery and calling for a nationwide strike-constitute nothing short of economic terrorism.
“By weaponizing energy supply, PENGASSAN is deliberately targeting the lifelines of ordinary Nigerians: our hospitals, our markets, our transportation systems, and our homes,” the group noted.
According to the group, “ With its 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity, the Dangote refinery was built to end Nigeria’s humiliating dependence on imported fuel as its success directly translates to energy security, a stronger Naira, and an end to the corrupt fuel subsidy regime.
The group also debunked PENGASSAN’s claims of mass sackings and the replacement of Nigerian workers with foreigners, describing the claims as blatant lies.
“The refinery continues to employ over 3,000 Nigerians and remains one of the largest contributors to job creation and tax revenue in the country. Their propaganda is a smokescreen for a darker agenda,” the group added.
They, therefore, called on the Federal Government to immediately secure the Dangote Refinery by deploying security personnel to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of crude oil and treat any obstruction as a treasonable offence.
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Deploy law enforcement to protect the facility and workers, declaring the refinery a Critical National Infrastructure.
“On our part, we will not stand by and watch a few individuals destroy the future of over 200 million Nigerians. The time for action is now,” Adamu added.
