The ongoing labor dispute between the management of Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN, currently before the Minister of Labor, should concern every well-meaning and patriotic Nigerian. Worker unionism and the management of profit-driven enterprises are often at odds. One is primarily concerned with organizational survival, while the other frequently pursues personal or group interests. These two perspectives can only coexist when their boundaries are clearly defined.
I support the rights of workers, but I do not stand with labor activists who thrive on confrontation and fantasy rather than realism. Union militancy is not desirable in a fragile economy like Nigeria’s. Just as workers have constitutional rights, so do employers, especially those in the private sector who make huge investments. A refinery is not a social service or public institution where “anything goes.” Dangote established this refinery as a profit-oriented venture, not as a battleground for activism. Anyone who wishes to play the role of an activist should seek employment elsewhere.
This is not to dismiss labor mediation, which the Ministry of Labor is rightly facilitating. However, mediation must balance the rights of workers with the enormous sacrifices of those who invest in such critical projects. The refinery provides opportunities that successive governments have failed to deliver. Globally, the private sector is the engine of economic growth, and investors must be given a stable environment in which to thrive. No one will risk billions of dollars in a climate of chaos. Nigeria urgently needs more refineries, and sustaining such ventures requires constant maintenance and reinvestment.
Unfortunately, PENGASSAN has a long history of undermining the very industry it claims to defend. The collapse of Nigeria’s four government-owned refineries was worsened by incessant labor strikes that prioritized short-term gains over long-term survival. Workers ignored the consequences of poor management until the facilities became moribund. That history should not be allowed to repeat itself with Dangote Refinery, the most ambitious private-sector industrial project in Africa.
It is concerning that Dangote has permitted such infiltration into his company. Activist unions often become corrupt and counterproductive, more inclined to cripple enterprises than sustain them. If unchecked, they risk stifling this monumental refinery before it achieves its full potential.
The government must therefore create alternative channels for labor activism, rather than allowing it to derail strategic national investments. Dangote, for his part, should gradually disengage disruptive elements within his workforce and enforce a strict code of conduct that prioritizes productivity over militancy. The refinery is a place for business, not a platform for pressure groups.
Dangote deserves national gratitude, not hostility, for creating jobs and building capacity. It is unfortunate that some of those who benefit from this opportunity now seek to undermine it. Whatever one may say about his access to public resources, the fact remains that he has reinvested massively in Nigeria, unlike many politicians who loot public funds only to hide them abroad or squander them.
At nearly seventy, Dangote has spent much of his life building enterprises that serve the nation. It is regrettable that instead of supporting him, some would subject him to needless headaches. Nigeria should rally behind him because the success of this refinery is the success of the nation.
Michael Jolayemi is the Author of:
- Saving America: The war we can’t ignore
- Sheltered Through the Storm: The Travails and Ultimate Triumph of the Church
- The Mysteries of God, the Origin We Don’t Know, the Eternity We Should Believe
- Watch out for his next book – Defying Death – How to Live and Not Die
