President Bola Tinubu has called for restraint and reflection in addressing the industrial dispute between the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal on Monday in Abuja during the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
The summit had the theme “The Reform Imperative: Building a Prosperous and Inclusive Nigeria by 2030.”
The president said the government was taking steps to protect major industries to ensure industrial harmony and national stability.
According to him, “Aliko Dangote is not an individual; he is an institution. He chose to invest in this country, so we owe it to future generations to jealously protect, promote, and preserve this investment.”
He urged both labour and the private sector to act with patriotism and understanding, saying, “I therefore call for caution, retrospection, and a deeper sense of patriotism from both the labour and the organised private sector in defining and improving relationships in the interest of all Nigerians.”
Tinubu also cautioned trade unions against actions capable of holding the nation to ransom over industrial disagreements.
Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN and every one of us here, he said, adding that the Dangote Refinery, financed through a mix of equity and local and foreign loans, must continue operations to meet its financial obligations.
The Federal Government had recently intervened in the dispute after PENGASSAN directed its members to halt gas supply and withdraw services from the refinery, accusing the company of terminating over 800 employees.
Dangote Refinery clarified that the staff disengagement resulted from an ongoing restructuring exercise.
(NAN)
Haha, President Tinubu really laying it on thick for Dangote, calling him an institution! Can you imagine the security detail now? Probably requires its own dedicated gas supply branch! But seriously, a bit of patriotic caution sounds fair – lets hope both sides remember Nigeria is ultimately bigger than a few job disputes or fuel supply hiccups. The Dangote Refinery definitely needs to keep chugging along to meet those pesky financial obligations, even if its staff restructuring plans seemed a tad abrupt. All in all, a reminder that while industrial harmony is key, maybe dont hold the nation ransom over industrial disagreements… unless you like the idea of Nigeria being slightly smaller, perhaps? 😉vòng quay ngẫu nhiên