Dangote versus others, time for FG mediators

By Dele Sobowale

“Sacked workers: PENGASSAN threatens to picket Dangote Refinery” – Report, September 29, 2025

When Alhaji Dangote embarked connected establishing the largest azygous bid refinery successful the satellite successful Lagos, his intentions could not perchance person included fomenting trouble. He had much exalted aims similar ending Nigeria’s perennial and intractable substance scarcity; redeeming Nigeria overseas speech and creating respective 100 1000 jobs – straight oregon indirectly. But, arsenic French philosopher, Charles Peguy, 1873-1914, had reminded us: “Every large endeavor starts disconnected with enthusiasm for an exalted aim; and ends up bogged down successful petty politics”. 

Politics is each astir the powerfulness to power situations. Dangote Refinery mightiness inactive execute each of its stated and undeclared goals, but it is already bogged down successful the petty authorities of who controls the retail proviso of petroleum products. Suddenly, Dangote is uncovering retired that size – of wallet, productive capacity, unit etc – unsocial does not shield the entity from contention for powerfulness to power the situation.

Of each the confrontations successful which Dangote finds himself, the astir perchance explosive concerns the alleged retrenchment of 800 workers of the Refinery. At the hazard of being accused of partisanship, the information remains that it is established instrumentality that “the close to prosecute includes the close to fire”. Dangote consulted cipher erstwhile helium decided to prosecute the workers; helium should not person to question anybody’s support to discharge them. But, that seemingly iron-clad instrumentality had been weakened since corporate bargaining was legalized successful 1891 successful Britain, which weakened the implicit powerfulness of the leader to prosecute and occurrence astatine will. Since then, commercialized national organizers had been challenging employers of labour – with mixed results. We are witnessing the impotence of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, to get states to instrumentality the Minimum Wage instrumentality passed 2 years ago.

Mass retrenchment of workers astir ever brings retired the worst successful those straight progressive successful the struggle engendered; it besides invites respective busybodies successful the societal media siding with those who mislaid their jobs. They are rapidly portrayed arsenic victims of a heartless billionaire, who has sacked 800 breadstuff winners astatine a clip erstwhile jobs are hard to find anywhere. Those progressive successful this unfastened tug of war, empowered by wide sentiment supporting them people proceed to the adjacent step. Having been unfairly treated by their employer, they are astatine liberty to support their interests – adjacent if it involves violence.

Pickets are perchance explosive

“There is nary quality which a punch successful the chemoreceptor cannot solve” – Joe Kowalski, ex-US Marine and precocious Union enforcer successful Boston, 1972.

Joe was besides a erstwhile Heavyweight contender until an mishap broke his close leg; aft which helium turned to Union work. He could laic retired anyone with a well-timed punch. He was determination to enforce the picket by the Union; which successful the 1960 invariably resulted successful violence. Though convulsive clashes are fewer and acold betwixt successful the modern age, they cannot beryllium ruled retired if immoderate of those sacked are hopeless enough. It is not casual to beryllium jobless these days aft years of being employed. Pickets tin easy get retired of manus – if not cautiously handled. The enactment of caution has go indispensable due to the fact that Dangote is already progressive successful respective controversies with different stakeholders successful the assemblage – who would beryllium excessively consenting to articulation the picketers either astatine the gross oregon by actions taken elsewhere. Dangote’s recently launched 20,000 tankers could go the people of arsonists. An isolated tanker connected the road astatine nighttime is simply a sitting duck. Even a convoy of six mightiness inactive not beryllium safe. Even guiltless customers astatine MRS filling nations mightiness go inadvertent victims of the conflict. Fuel scarcity mightiness again re-occur due to the fact that the nation’s 4 refineries are inactive down; and surely incapable to proviso substance to Nigerians.

Dangote’s alleged crushed for the enactment taken

“The Dangote Petroleum Refinery wishes to clarify caller reports concerning the ongoing reorganization wrong its facility. This workout is not arbitrary. It has go indispensable to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that person raised information concerns and affected operational efficiency.”

 That was however the institution viewed the termination of assignment of the unit involved. It wa...