Dangote Refinery Thanks President Tinubu for Averting Crisis with PENGASSAN
By Patience Ikpeme
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as a decisive and timely intervention that averted “disruptive actions” by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against the company.
In a statement on Sunday, the company said the President’s leadership, exercised through his ministers and senior government officials, helped restore calm and stability to the nation’s energy sector at a critical period.
“Dangote Refinery is grateful to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for his intervention, through his Ministers and senior officials, which resulted in the abatement of the disruptive actions of PENGASSAN against the Refinery,” the statement read.
The company credited several top government officials for their “tireless” efforts in restoring normalcy. These, it noted, included Nigeria’s Security Chiefs led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeola Toyin Ajayi; and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Mohammed Mohammed.
It also praised the contributions of senior ministers who worked “untiringly and determinedly into the wee hours of several nights to avert the declared disruption of Nigeria’s energy sector by anarchists and agents of darkness.”
Those named were the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Dingyadi; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu; and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
“We remain very grateful to these officials for their patriotism and national service,” the statement added.
Dangote Refinery also expressed appreciation to Nigerians across the country for their show of solidarity and support throughout the crisis.
“To Nigerians of all walks of life, we owe you more than a debt of gratitude. Your support for our righteous cause was both humbling and overwhelming. We heard your supportive voices and words of encouragement literally in all the street corners and media channels of Nigeria and were energized and strengthened thereby,” the company stated.
“You gave us hope and reinforced our belief in the Nigerian nation and people as the backbone of our enterprise. Be assured that we would continue to work for and in your interest and persist in always protecting that interest against rent seekers, economic saboteurs and economic squatters,” it added.
The refinery commended its workforce for their steadfastness during the period of industrial tension, noting that their dedication ensured operations continued without disruption.
“To our loyal workers, who ensured that our operations were not disrupted even for a second, we thank and appreciate you. The strength of Dangote Group lies in our people and their unalloyed dedication and allegiance to our cause, mission and vision,” the company stated.
“You proved your allegiance to our cause these several days even in the face of the provocative and inciting comments of and directives from detractors and naysayers who do not wish us and indeed Nigeria well. Be assured that you are treasured and will continue to be handsomely rewarded and remunerated notwithstanding the hypocritical directives and pronouncements of the enemies of Nigeria’s progress and derailers of our economy.”
Reaffirming its commitment to fair labour practices, Dangote Refinery noted that the Dangote Group remains one of Nigeria’s largest private employers and a key contributor to national revenue.
“Perhaps we should mention, at this point, that the Dangote Group, with due modesty, is recognized as one of Nigeria’s model employers of labour and the largest private sector employer in the country as well as the largest contributor to Nigeria’s tax revenues,” the company said.
“Our compensation framework is benchmarked against international standards and designed not only to reward performance but also to protect employee welfare, uphold dignity in labour and provide a safe and enabling workplace for our people. Through continuous training, mentorship and professional development, we create visible pathways for growth, thereby empowering our employees to advance into leadership roles and build long-term and fulfilling careers.”
The company also commended the Nigerian judiciary for its courage and commitment to justice in the face of provocation. “One institution that we revere and must loudly acknowledge is the Nigerian judiciary. They stood up for the truth and proved themselves as the bastion of hope for all of us,” Dangote Refinery noted.
“It is unfortunate that the oligarchs publicly displayed their rascality and lawlessness by refusing to accept service of valid court orders that sought to restrain their destructive actions. Regardless, the fact that the judiciary came to society’s rescue at our critical moment of need, notwithstanding the intimidation of the hypocritical and sabotaging oligarchs, stands the judicial institution out as a just arbiter.”
The statement concluded with a pledge of continued dedication to national service and industrial development. “Finally, and to all our other stakeholders, big and small, we thank you and will continue to always count on your support. We would not relent in serving the Nigerian nation faithfully and diligently through the uninterrupted production of our petroleum products,” the company said.
“Our commitment to the Nigerian nation and our pact with its people remain undiluted, undiminished and unalterable notwithstanding the distractions from our detractors and the saboteurs in our midst.”
