Protesters shut Kaduna, accuse oil cabal of plotting to sabotage Dangote Refinery

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Kaduna—Thousands of protesters, yesterday, shut down parts of Kaduna city, as they marched through major streets under the banner of the Partners for National Economic Progress, PANEP, accusing a powerful oil cabal of sabotaging Nigeria’s economic recovery by frustrating local oil refining initiatives.

Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Protect Local Refining,” “End fuel import cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery.”

They converged at the Murtala Mohammed Square before marching through Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way, and Muhammadu Buhari Way, drawing large crowds of supporters along the way.

Leaders of the movement, Igwe Ude-Umanta and  Dahiru Maishanu, said the Kaduna rally was part of a nationwide campaign to expose and resist “economic saboteurs” determined to keep 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,” Ude-Umanta declared to thunderous applause.

“We will not let them succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over.”

He said the movement, which began in Abuja on October 2, is part of a “national liberation effort” to save the economy from “heartless cartels feeding fat on national decay.”

Recalling Kaduna’s industrial past, Ude-Umanta lamented how the once-thriving textile industry was ruined by foreign interests aided by local collaborators.

“Kaduna used to be a textile hub before sabotage destroyed it,” he said. “Now, they want to do the same to our petroleum sector by frustrating local refining. We will resist them.”

The protest, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” called for urgent government action to protect the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery from “systematic attacks” by oil importation cartels.

PANEP urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also serves as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure local refineries receive crude oil at the same price sold to foreign buyers.

“That is key to sustaining the refinery and boosting investor confidence,” the group said.

The protesters demanded an end to reckless fuel importation, urging the government to either halt it outright or impose heavy tariffs to protect local industries.

“Countries that place tariffs are not stupid—they are protecting their economies,” Ude-Umanta noted.

In his remarks,  Maishanu said the cartel’s goal was to maintain a monopoly over fuel importation.

“How can importers compete with producers?” he asked. “They are scared because local refining will expose their fraud and end their control over pricing.”

He further accused the cartel of blocking the sale of locally refined Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (Jet A1) at cheaper rates, thereby keeping prices artificially high.

“They are punishing Nigerians to protect their greed,” Maishanu said.

The protesters commended Dangote Refinery for its “early success” in reducing prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), saying Nigerians are already “breathing fresh air” from local refining.

“This movement is about economic salvation,” Maishanu said. “If we allow them to kill Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever risk bringing money into this country again. We must protect this refinery as our own.”

The rally ended with a resounding call on President Tinubu to “crush every enemy of Nigeria’s economic progress.”

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