Protesters took to the streets of Kaduna on Monday, accusing powerful oil importers and members of the labour movement of trying to frustrate the Dangote Refinery and Nigeria’s local refining efforts.
The demonstrators, under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), gathered at Murtala Mohammed Square before marching through major streets, including Ahmadu Bello Way and Muhammadu Buhari Way.
They carried placards that read “Protect Local Refining,” “End Fuel Import Cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery.”
The protest, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” was part of a nationwide campaign that began in Abuja on October 2.
Speaking at the rally, PANEP leader Igwe Ude-Umanta said the group was fighting what he called “a cartel that has kept Nigeria dependent on imported fuel.”
“This struggle is against the cartel that destroyed our public refineries, killed the textile industry, and now wants to strangle the Dangote Refinery. We will not let them succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over,” he said.
Ude-Umanta compared the situation to the collapse of Kaduna’s once-booming textile industry.
“Kaduna used to be a textile hub before sabotage ruined it. Now, they want to do the same to our petroleum sector. We will resist them,” he said.
He accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of siding with importers.
“What they are doing is economic terrorism. They are helping those who don’t want Nigeria to refine its own fuel,” he said.
The protesters urged the Federal Government to stop fuel importation or impose heavy tariffs to protect local refineries.
“Countries that protect their industries with tariffs are not foolish. The importers are scared because local refining will expose their corruption and price manipulation,” Ude-Umanta said.
Another protest leader, Dahiru Maishanu, said PENGASSAN’s recent actions went beyond union activity.
“What PENGASSAN did was not unionism, it was sabotage. The Federal Government should arrest their leaders to serve as a deterrent. We cannot allow anyone to hide under labour unions to harm our economy” he said.
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The group called on President Bola Tinubu, who also serves as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure that local refineries receive crude oil at the same price offered to foreign refineries.
“President Tinubu must stamp his feet. Local refineries must get crude at fair prices to stay in business and attract investors,” the group said in a statement.
Maishanu also accused the cartel of blocking the sale of locally produced gas and aviation fuel to keep prices high.
“They are punishing Nigerians to protect their greed. Local refining will end their monopoly and expose their fraud,” he said.
The protesters praised the Dangote Refinery for reducing fuel and diesel prices, saying Nigerians were already “breathing fresh air” because of it.
“This movement is about economic salvation. If we allow them to kill the Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever risk bringing money into Nigeria again,” Maishanu said.
The Kaduna rally ended with a renewed call on the government to “crush every enemy of Nigeria’s economic progress” and to protect the country’s local refining industry.
Meanwhile, the dispute between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN continues. Talks between both sides, mediated by the Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, recently broke a deadlock after days of tense negotiation.
PENGASSAN had accused the refinery of unfair labour practices, including replacing Nigerian workers with foreigners—allegations the company strongly denied. The federal government said it intervened to prevent further economic disruption.