Thousands of protesters on Monday brought parts of Kaduna city to a standstill as they marched under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), accusing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of “economic terrorism” and colluding with oil cartels to sabotage the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Chanting solidarity songs and waving placards with inscriptions such as “Protect Local Refining,” “End Fuel Import Cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery,” the protesters converged on Murtala Mohammed Square before marching through Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, and Ahmadu Bello Way, effectively grounding traffic in parts of the city.
Addressing the rally, PANEP Convener, Igwe Ude-Umanta, said the Kaduna protest formed part of a nationwide campaign to “rescue Nigeria’s economy from cartels who destroyed our public refineries and now want to strangle the Dangote Refinery.”
“This struggle is against the same interests that killed our textile industry and turned Kaduna’s factories into graveyards. We will not allow them to repeat that in the oil sector. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over,” he declared.
Ude-Umanta alleged that PENGASSAN’s recent industrial action was a deliberate attempt to frustrate operations at the $20 billion Dangote Refinery, describing it as “sabotage, not labour activism.”
“What PENGASSAN did just a few days ago was economic terrorism. The government should have arrested their leadership to serve as a deterrent. We cannot allow people to hide under labour unions to cripple our economy,” he said.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his capacity as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure that local refineries receive crude oil at the same price sold to foreign refiners. According to him, fairness in crude allocation and pricing is vital to sustaining investor confidence and protecting indigenous industries.
“The same way imported textiles destroyed Kaduna’s mills, imported fuel is threatening to kill local refining. Other nations protect their industries through tariffs — we must do the same,” he added.
PANEP also commended Dangote Refinery for stabilising fuel prices and creating jobs, calling it “a symbol of Nigeria’s economic rebirth that must not be allowed to fail.”
ACF condemns union, calls for protection of local investment
In a related development, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) condemned what it described as “thinly disguised attempts to sabotage a world-class indigenous investment,” warning that attacks on the Dangote Refinery threatened national security and investor confidence.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the Forum urged the federal government to safeguard the refinery as a strategic national asset.
“Putting down the Dangote Refinery would be a potent disincentive to both domestic and international investors. It must be protected under national security policy,” the statement said.
The ACF further called for sanctions against any individual or group disrupting refinery operations or violating court orders, insisting that “labour rights should not become tools for sabotage.”
CPPE seeks law to prevent unlawful shutdowns
Also reacting, the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) urged the federal government to establish a legal framework to prevent the unlawful shutdown of businesses by labour unions.
In a statement, CPPE Chief Executive Officer, Muda Yusuf, said the protection of investors and employers was not a privilege but “a national economic imperative.”
“Investors mobilise capital, create jobs, and generate the tax revenues that sustain government and society. Without them, there can be no sustained growth, no employment, and no national prosperity,” Yusuf noted.
He added that Nigeria must urgently institutionalise a fair and predictable business environment that balances the rights of workers with the responsibilities of sustaining the economy.
“This is not about weakening labour unions but about ensuring economic stability and national security,” he said.
Both PANEP and ACF called on Nigerians to rally behind indigenous industries, stressing that protecting the Dangote Refinery would demonstrate the country’s commitment to economic sovereignty and industrial revival.
