Dangote refinery lauds Tinubu, security chiefs for averting PENGASSAN strike

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commended President Bola Tinubu for his “timely and decisive intervention” in averting the planned disruptive actions by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against the company.

In a statement on Saturday, the company said Tinubu’s leadership, through key ministers and security officials, restored stability to the energy sector “at a critical moment”.

“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 company said.

The refinery said security chiefs played a central role in defusing tensions.

“The firm said the key government officials who “worked tirelessly to restore normalcy” were Nigeria’s security chiefs, led by Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser.

Others are Adeola Toyin Ajayi, the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), and Mohammed Mohammed, the director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

Dangote refinery also acknowledged the “untiring efforts” of senior government officials who, it said, worked late into the night to prevent a wider crisis in the energy sector.

“We remain very grateful to the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Dingyadi; the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu; and the Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, for their patriotism and national service,” the refinery said.

The company also appreciated Nigerians for their “overwhelming support” during the industrial tension.

“Your support for our righteous cause was both humbling and overwhelming. We heard your voices and words of encouragement in all the street corners and media channels of Nigeria,” the firm said.

“You gave us hope and reinforced our belief in the Nigerian people as the backbone of our enterprise.”

The company also praised its workers for maintaining operations despite “provocations”, describing them as “the strength of the Dangote Group”.

“To our loyal workers, who ensured that our operations were not disrupted even for a second, we thank and appreciate you. You proved your allegiance to our cause even in the face of inciting directives from detractors,” Dangote refinery said.

‘WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO FAIR EMPLOYMENT’

Reaffirming its position as a major private employer, the company said it remains committed to fair employment practices and national economic growth.

“The Dangote Group is recognised as one of Nigeria’s model employers of labour and the largest private sector contributor to tax revenues,” the organisation.

“Our compensation framework is benchmarked against international standards and designed to protect employee welfare and uphold dignity in labour.”

Dangote Refinery also commended the judiciary for “standing firm in defence of the rule of law” amid attempts to disrupt its operations.

“The judiciary came to society’s rescue at our critical moment of need, notwithstanding intimidation from those who refused to accept valid court orders,” the refinery added.

The company reiterated its commitment to national service and industrial stability, describing it as “undiminished and unalterable”.