Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged labour unions and stakeholders in the oil sector to stop what he called a “poisonous media narrative” against the Dangote Refinery, warning that such moves could undermine confidence in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry.
Ndume’s intervention follows a face-off between the refinery and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), as well as the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).
NUPENG recently embarked on industrial action over the refinery’s alleged refusal to allow truck drivers to join the union as required under the Trade Union Act, while DAPPMAN accused the refinery of stifling competition by allegedly selling products to international traders at cheaper rates than to Nigerian marketers.
Although the Department of State Services has since stepped in to mediate, tensions have persisted in the sector.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ndume said: “I urge NUPENG, PENGASSAN and all concerned stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue with Dangote rather than inciting division and undue sensationalism in the media.”
The Borno South senator recalled that successive governments had encouraged private sector investment in refineries but many licensees failed to deliver.
He praised Aliko Dangote’s decision to invest in building a refinery despite the risks.
“Before Dangote took the risk to build his refinery, previous administrations granted licences to many Nigerians. What did they do with it? Some only cashed in on crude oil allocations.
Those parading themselves as fuel importers today didn’t seize the initiative to build refineries but are now ganging up to falsely accuse Dangote of monopolising the market,” Ndume said.
He stressed that with the deregulation of the downstream sector under the Petroleum Industry Act, it was “wrong to talk about monopoly”.
“There are no deliberate bottlenecks against anyone, and no player has been accorded a special concession to the detriment of others,” he added.
Ndume called on the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to intervene promptly to prevent disputes from disrupting the supply and distribution of petroleum products.
