By Olatunbosun Obafemi
An economist, Professor Ken Ife, has cautioned the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against embarking on an industrial confrontation with the Dangote Group over the ongoing labour dispute at the company’s refinery.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Prof. Ife warned that the union risked taking on a battle it could not win, given the strategic importance of the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery to Nigeria’s economy.
“My advice to labour is: don’t join a fight you cannot win. Don’t try to destroy a refinery that is systemic, strategic, and that protects national interests. You can’t do that,” he said.
The economist decried the collapse of foreign direct investment into Nigeria, noting that the country may struggle to attract even $2 billion this year, compared to $20 billion in previous years. He also lamented that despite the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) spending billions on reviving state-owned refineries, they remain dormant.
“Even the $10 billion that the NNPC collected to do the refineries for 10 years came to nothing. They collect $3.5 billion from the securitisation of our five-year revenue, and the refineries are not producing; they are shut down,” he said.
On the labour dispute, Prof. Ife argued that employers retain the right to hire and fire, insisting that Dangote has not breached workers’ rights to unionisation.
“The contention is that unionisation and workers’ rights were being opposed by Dangote. That is not true because Dangote came out to say it supports workers’ rights to unionisation, but those rights are voluntary,” he stated.
He urged the union to seek redress through the courts rather than jeopardise the economy. “If you have any issues, go to the industrial court. That is your first port of call; you don’t take the laws into your hands,” he advised.
The warning comes amid a deepening standoff between PENGASSAN and the refinery. Last week, the union directed its members to halt gas supply to the facility, accusing management of unlawfully sacking unionised workers.
The refinery management, in turn, condemned the action, describing it as “a brazen, albeit shocking, display of lawlessness and criminality.”
Following an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, September 27, PENGASSAN ordered members nationwide to withdraw their services, alleging that the refinery violated Nigeria’s labour laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions by dismissing workers for joining the union.
The Federal Government has since intervened, with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, appealing to the union to shelve its strike threat. He disclosed that the government had initiated talks to bring both parties to the negotiation table to prevent further escalation.
