The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the Federal Government to safeguard the Dangote Refinery from alleged sabotage by vested interests unsettled by its growing role in Nigeria’s fuel supply chain. In a statement signed by Usman Adamu Nagwaza, President of the NANS Senate, the association expressed concern over the refinery’s dispute with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), warning that failure to resolve the disagreement could trigger a nationwide fuel crisis.
NANS maintained that while workers have the right to organise, union membership should remain voluntary, stressing that threats of a nationwide shutdown over union disputes were unacceptable. It added that disruptions to refinery operations, whether through strikes or sabotage, would reverse recent gains in fuel supply stability.
Nagwaza commended the Tinubu administration’s efforts to revive the economy but cautioned that renewed fuel scarcity would have severe consequences. He also referenced intelligence reports alleging plots by oil cartels to attack Dangote Refinery’s newly acquired Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks. According to him, such attacks would threaten not just a private company but Nigeria’s energy independence.
NANS called on the National Security Adviser and security agencies to secure critical energy infrastructure. Describing the refinery as a hub for innovation, jobs, and skills development, the student body pledged support for the project and vowed to resist attempts to undermine it. It further appealed to NUPENG to embrace dialogue and avoid being manipulated by economic saboteurs.
Source: https://guardian.ng/
