Abuja — Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has cautioned labour unions and oil industry stakeholders against what he described as attempts to “demonise” the Dangote Refinery amid ongoing disputes in the downstream petroleum sector.
His comments follow the standoff between the refinery’s management, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).
NUPENG had recently embarked on industrial action, accusing Dangote Refinery of refusing to allow truck drivers to join the union as stipulated under the Trade Union Act. DAPPMAN also alleged that the refinery was selling products to international traders at cheaper rates than Nigerian marketers, thereby stifling competition.
Although the Department of State Services has since intervened, tensions remain.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, Ndume warned against “poisonous media narratives” targeted at tarnishing the image of the refinery and its founder, Aliko Dangote.
> “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,” Ndume said.
“Our common goal should be to balance labour rights with the imperatives of national development and not put ordinary citizens at the receiving end of a needless power tussle.”
The Borno South senator recalled that past administrations granted multiple refinery licenses to private operators, but most failed to build facilities, instead taking advantage of crude oil allocation incentives.
He argued that it was unfair to accuse Dangote of monopolising the petroleum sector, stressing that the Federal Government had already deregulated the industry under the Petroleum Industry Act to allow fair competition.
> “It is wrong to talk about monopoly in a deregulated industry. 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 regulators, including the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, to step in and prevent disputes from disrupting petroleum product distribution.
