From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Parts of Kaduna city was yesterday brought to a standstill by thousands of protesters who marched through major streets under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), accusing oil cabal of plotting to sabotage Nigeria’s economic recovery by frustrating local refining efforts by Dangote refinery.
The protesters, chanting solidarity songs, carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Protect local refining,” “End fuel import cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery.” They converged on Murtala Mohammed Square before proceeding through Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way and Muhammadu Buhari Way.
Leaders of the movement, Igwe Ude-Umanta and Dahiru Umar Maishanu, said the rally was part of a nationwide campaign to expose and resist economic saboteurs who have sworn to ensure Nigeria remains dependent on imported fuel.
“This struggle is against the cartel that destroyed our public refineries, killed the textile industry, and now wants to strangle the Dangote Refinery,” Ude-Umanta declared to thunderous applause. “We will not let them succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over.”
According to him, the movement began in Abuja on October 2 as part of what he called a “national liberation effort” to save the economy from “heartless cartels feeding fat on national decay.”
He said the Kaduna leg was symbolic, recalling how the once-booming textile industry in the city was killed by foreign interests aided by local collaborators. “Kaduna used to be a textile hub before the same pattern of sabotage destroyed it.
“Today, they want to replicate that on our petroleum sector by frustrating local refining. We will resist them.”
The protest, themed: “National unity against sabotage: Reclaiming our petroleum sector for the people” called for urgent government action to protect the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery from “systematic attacks” by elements of the oil importation cartel.
Ude-Umanta described recent actions by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as “economic terrorism” and accused it of colluding with the cartel to undermine the refinery’s operations.
“What PENGASSAN did was not unionism—it was sabotage. “The Federal Government should have arrested their leadership to serve as a deterrent. We cannot allow people to hide under labour unions to commit crimes against our economy.”
PANEP urged President Bola Tinubu, who doubles as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to “stamp his feet” by ensuring local refineries like Dangote’s receive crude oil at the same price sold to foreign refiners. “That is key to sustaining the refinery and boosting investor confidence,” the group said.
The protesters insisted that the era of reckless fuel importation must end and called on the government to either stop importation outrightly or impose heavy tariffs to protect local industries. “Countries that place tariffs are not stupid; they are protecting their economies,” Ude-Umanta added.
Maishanu, in his remarks, said the cartel’s goal was to maintain monopoly over fuel importation. “How can importers compete with producers?” he queried. “They are scared because local refining will expose their fraud and end their control over pricing.”
The group accused the cartel of blocking the sale of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (Jet A1) produced locally at cheaper rates, thereby keeping prices artificially high. “They are punishing Nigerians to protect their greed,” he said.
The protesters hailed Dangote Refinery for what they described as “early success” in reducing prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), saying Nigerians are already “breathing fresh air” from the local refining revolution.
“This movement is about economic salvation,” Maishanu said. “If we allow them to kill Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever risk bringing money into this country again. We must protect this refinery as our own.”
The rally ended with a renewed call on President Tinubu to “crush every enemy of Nigeria’s economic progress.”
