The Arewa Social Contract Initiatives has condemned what it described as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, warning that such action amounts to an economic war against Nigerians.
The National Chairman of the group, Malam Sani Yusuf Adamu, stated this on Wednesday in Kano while briefing newsmen after an emergency meeting of the national executives.
Adamu said the decision of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to order a shutdown of crude and gas supply to the refinery and call for a nationwide strike was an act of “economic terrorism.”
According to him, the refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, remains the world’s largest single-train petroleum refinery and represents Nigeria’s chance at achieving energy security and ending dependence on imported petroleum products.
“The Dangote Refinery is not just a project of national significance but one of global importance. Any attempt to cripple it is an attempt to cripple Nigeria’s future,” he said.
The chairman dismissed claims by PENGASSAN that the refinery had sacked Nigerian workers and replaced them with foreigners, describing the allegations as false and misleading.
He noted that the refinery currently employs over 3,000 Nigerians and contributes significantly to job creation and tax revenue.
Adamu also accused PENGASSAN of a historical pattern of frustrating progressive reforms in the oil and gas sector, citing its opposition to the sale of non-performing refineries in 2007.
“The attack on Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a Northern industrialist who invested heavily in the South, is a dangerous attempt to politicise a national asset and divide the country along regional lines,” he added.
The group called on the Federal Government to treat any obstruction to crude oil supply to the refinery as treasonable, secure the facility as Critical National Infrastructure, and launch a full-scale investigation into what it termed “economic sabotage” by the union.
It also urged PENGASSAN to withdraw its directive and return to dialogue, while appealing to Nigerians to unite in defending the refinery as a symbol of national progress.
“The time for action is now. We will not watch a few individuals destroy the future of over 200 million Nigerians,” Adamu said.