Dangote versus others, time for FG mediators

By Dele Sobowale

“Sacked workers: PENGASSAN threatens to picket Dangote Refinery” – Report, September 29, 2025

When Alhaji Dangote embarked on establishing the largest single train refinery in the world in Lagos, his intentions could not possibly have included fomenting trouble. He had more exalted aims like ending Nigeria’s perennial and intractable fuel scarcity; saving Nigeria foreign exchange and creating several hundred thousand jobs – directly or indirectly. But, as French philosopher, Charles Peguy, 1873-1914, had reminded us: “Every great enterprise starts off with enthusiasm for an exalted aim; and ends up bogged down in petty politics”. 

Politics is all about the power to control situations. Dangote Refinery might still achieve all of its stated and undeclared goals, but it is already bogged down in the petty politics of who controls the retail supply of petroleum products. Suddenly, Dangote is finding out that size – of wallet, productive capacity, staff etc – alone does not shield the entity from competition for power to control the situation.

Of all the confrontations in which Dangote finds himself, the most potentially explosive concerns the alleged retrenchment of 800 workers of the Refinery. At the risk of being accused of partisanship, the fact remains that it is established law that “the right to hire includes the right to fire”. Dangote consulted nobody when he decided to engage the workers; he should not have to seek anybody’s permission to discharge them. But, that seemingly iron-clad law had been weakened since collective bargaining was legalized in 1891 in Britain, which weakened the absolute power of the employer to hire and fire at will. Since then, trade union organizers had been challenging employers of labour – with mixed results. We are witnessing the impotence of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, to get states to implement the Minimum Wage law passed two years ago.

Mass retrenchment of workers almost always brings out the worst in those directly involved in the conflict engendered; it also invites several busybodies in the social media siding with those who lost their jobs. They are quickly portrayed as victims of a heartless billionaire, who has sacked 800 bread winners at a time when jobs are hard to find anywhere. Those involved in this open tug of war, empowered by widespread sentiment supporting them naturally proceed to the next step. Having been unfairly treated by their employer, they are at liberty to protect their interests – even if it involves violence.

Pickets are potentially explosive

“There is no dispute which a punch in the nose cannot solve” – Joe Kowalski, ex-US Marine and late Union enforcer in Boston, 1972.

Joe was also a former Heavyweight contender until an accident broke his right leg; after which he turned to Union work. He could lay out anyone with a well-timed punch. He was there to enforce the picket by the Union; which in the 1960 invariably resulted in violence. Though violent clashes are few and far between in the modern age, they cannot be ruled out if some of those sacked are desperate enough. It is not easy to be jobless these days after years of being employed. Pickets can easily get out of hand – if not carefully handled. The note of caution has become necessary because Dangote is already involved in several controversies with other stakeholders in the sector – who would be too willing to join the picketers either at the gate or by actions taken elsewhere. Dangote’s newly launched 20,000 tankers could become the target of arsonists. An isolated tanker on the highway at night is a sitting duck. Even a convoy of six might still not be safe. Even innocent customers at MRS filling nations might become inadvertent victims of the conflict. Fuel scarcity might again re-occur because the nation’s four refineries are still down; and certainly unable to supply fuel to Nigerians.

Dangote’s alleged reason for the action taken

“The Dangote Petroleum Refinery wishes to clarify recent reports concerning the ongoing reorganization within its facility. This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.”

 That was how the company viewed the termination of appointment of the staff involved. It was purely a matter of protecting investors’ interests. From that standpoint, the management was taking appropriate action; because, everybody loses once the refinery is destroyed by saboteurs. Even those sacked might not get paid. It has happened before in the early 1980s; when the workers in a brewery in Ogun State allowed the dispute with Board and Management to degenerate into destruction of parts of the brewery. The brewery was closed after order was restored – never to open again. None of the staff received a kobo of their accumulated entitlements; the investors lost everything.

Dangote’s measures, even if the real motives are questioned, cannot be totally dismissed out of hand as unwarranted. In all situations, safety of the assets should come first.

How did the situation arise so soon at the refinery?

“The most difficult conflicts to resolve are those in which the parties cannot even agree on the cause (s) of the dispute.” Anonymous

I once taught a course, in the early 1990s, at the Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM, Victoria Island, titled: Conflict Management and Resolution. Among the first things research revealed was the fact that how the parties frame the cause (s) of the problem determines how quickly or easily the matter can be resolved. If, as in this case, one party regards it as a matter of job security and the other as safety of assets, the situation can quickly degenerate into an impasse. Fortunately, a difficult situation is different from an impossible one. Job security and asset protection are not, and should not be, mutually exclusive.

 The questions well-meaning people, including in government and all media, should be asking are these – among others. How did conflict arise so soon in a new refinery? Blessed are the members of the Board of Directors and Management of a new business organization; for they have the unique opportunity to establish the corporate culture; including the organisation’s internal social contract. What they establish would determine whether or not there is peace and harmony within the company during its early years when conflict should be absent in order for the firm to focus on its vision and mission.

It is vital to know when the first signs of disagreement occurred, what caused them? And how they were resolved – if at all.

Peaceful resolution in everybody’s interest

 “Just remember there are two sides to every story. And most of the time no one is completely innocent.”

Once a hot dispute like this one erupts, several groups and individuals take sides; frequently, before all the facts are known and out of prejudice for or against one party. This is no exception and the media is already publishing judgments. Escalation is encouraged. It will amount to a monumental error if Nigerians don’t work to arrive at a peaceful resolution of this particular conflict. Everybody will suffer. Believe me.  

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