President Bola Tinubu has appealed for restraint and “a deeper sense of patriotism” in the industrial dispute between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Tinubu urged both labour and the private sector to prioritise national interest in resolving conflicts.
He described Aliko Dangote as “an institution and a leading light,” stressing that his decision to invest over $10 billion in Nigeria should be safeguarded for future generations. “If he had invested in Microsoft, Amazon, or Google, he would probably be worth $70–80 billion today. But he chose Nigeria, and we must protect that choice,” Tinubu said.
The President noted that the refinery, financed through equity, debt, and international loans, must remain functional to meet obligations, adding that no labour dispute should “hold the nation to ransom.”
The federal government recently brokered a truce after PENGASSAN accused the refinery of terminating more than 800 workers. Dangote Refinery explained that the layoffs were linked to an internal restructuring.
Tinubu urged the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) to recommend durable strategies to promote industrial harmony while safeguarding critical investments.
