Reps Wade Into Dangote Refinery, Oil Union’s Face-off

House of Representatives has resolved that its leadership, nether Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, intervene successful the quality betwixt Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

This was a sequel to the adoption of  a question of urgent nationalist importance(as amended), moved by Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (APC, Kano) and Hon. Abdulssamad Dasuki(PDP, Sokoto) astatine plenary yesterday.

Moving the motion, Doguwa said the caller look disconnected betwixt PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery, located wrong the Lei Free Trade Zone culminated successful a onslaught that disrupted operations astatine the $20 cardinal refinery which is the largest azygous bid refinery successful the world.

The erstwhile House person noted that the concern enactment led to a disruption successful Nigeria’s crude lipid accumulation with a reported regular nonaccomplishment of astir 200,000 barrels implicit a play of 3 days.

He besides noted that the disruption worsened the substance proviso concern crossed the country, resulting successful scarcity and agelong queues astatine filling stations successful respective states, thereby causing respective hardship for mean Nigerians.

Doguwa said Dangote Refinery is strategical backstage concern of immense nationalist importance, with the imaginable to warrant vigor security, trim import dependency, make employment, and conserve overseas exchange.

He argued that; “the Dangote Refinery operates wrong a Free Trade Zone, and truthful falls nether the regulatory model of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) peculiarly Section (5) of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act which intelligibly states.

“Employment successful the Free Zone shall beryllium governed by rules and regulations made by the Authority and not taxable to the Provisions of enactments relating to employment matters.”

Doguwa expressed interest that; “actions by labour unions that disregard the ineligible protections conferred On Free Zones nether NEPZA Act not lone constitutes a breach of instrumentality but besides make a hostile concern situation that whitethorn deter aboriginal section and overseas investors.

“If backstage concern of strategical nationalist value are continually subjected to unlawful disruptions by adversarial unionism, Nigeria risks not lone the nonaccomplishment of cardinal economical assets but besides the erosion of capitalist assurance indispensable for nationalist maturation and development.