Ndume to NUPENG, DAPPMAN: Support Dangote instead of demonizing him

By John Alechenu, Abuja

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector to work together rather than engage in conflicts that could harm the nation’s economy.

Ndume made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, following the ongoing face-off between the Dangote 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 had recently embarked on industrial action that shut down oil depots, accusing Dangote Refinery of refusing to allow its truck drivers to join the union—an action they said contravened the Trade Union Act. DAPPMAN also alleged that the refinery was stifling competition by offering products to international traders at lower prices than those given to local marketers.

The Department of State Services (DSS) was forced to intervene to broker peace, describing the dispute as a potential threat to national security.

Ndume, however, expressed concern over what he described as “a poisonous media narrative” aimed at portraying Dangote negatively in Nigeria and abroad.

He said: “Before Dangote took the risk to build his refinery, previous administrations had granted licenses to many Nigerians. What did they do with them? Some only exploited crude oil allocations for personal gain.

“If my memory serves me right, licenses were granted to 12 private operators as far back as 2002 to build refineries and reduce dependence on imported fuel. A second round of licenses was issued in 2007 by the then Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), after revoking the first batch, but how many of them actually made progress?

“During the Muhammadu Buhari administration, licenses were again granted for modular refineries, yet few scratched the surface. Now, those same people are ganging up to falsely accuse Dangote of monopolizing the market.”

The lawmaker argued that it was wrong to speak of monopoly in a deregulated industry, stressing that no special concessions were granted to Dangote at the expense of others.

He called on the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, regulatory agencies, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to step in and prevent an all-out crisis.

Ndume added: “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.

“Our common goal should be to balance labour rights with national development—not place ordinary Nigerians at the mercy of a needless power tussle.”

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