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Anthony Ufoh
The ongoing issues within the nation’s oil and gas sector have led former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, to admonish both the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) to support the Dangote refinery rather than bickering.
The Senator representing the Borno South constituency stated that their continued differences are likely to harm the nation and its economy. And he stated that the face-off between the Dangote Refinery and NUPENG, as well as DAPPMAN, according to him, will not help the economy to grow.
Ndume made the statement on Wednesday while speaking to pressmen.
Recall, NUPENG recently embarked on an industrial action which led to a shutdown of oil depots.
The union cited the alleged refusal of the management of Dangote Refinery to allow its truck drivers to join the union.
This, the unionists argued, contravened sections of the Trade Union Act. DAPPMAN, the umbrella body of fuel importers, on its part, accused Dangote Refinery of plotting to stifle competition by selling its products cheaper to international traders compared to what they sold to local marketers.
The Department of State Service (DSS) intervened and brokered a truce to forestall what the service considered a threat to national security.
Ndume expressed concerns over what he called “a poisonous media narrative to paint Dangote in a bad light in the eyes of Nigerians and the international community.”
Senator Ndume said, “Before Dangote took the risk to build his refinery, previous administrations had granted licenses to many Nigerians. What did they do with it? Some of them only cashed in on the incentives of crude oil allocation.
“If my memory serves me right, licenses were granted to 12 private operators as far back as 2002 to build refineries and reduce dependence on imported fuel.
“The second round of licenses was done in 2007 by the then Department of Petroleum Resources ( DPR) after revoking the first batch, and granted nine new licenses to private investors.
“Those parading themselves as fuel importers today didn’t seize the initiative to come together to build refineries.
“Again, during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, licenses were granted to private investors to build modular refineries.”
He further said, “How many of them actually scratched the surface, but they are ganging up to falsely accuse Dangote of monopolising the market.
“It is wrong to talk about monopoly in a deregulated industry.
There are no deliberate bottlenecks against anyone, and no player has been accorded special concessions to the detriment of others.”
The lawmaker urged regulatory agencies in the industry, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority ( NMDPRA) to intervene to prevent an all-out feud among the players.
Ndume further said, “I urge NUPENG, PENGASSAN, and all concerned stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue with Dangote rather than inciting division and undue sensationalism in the media.
“Our common goal should be to balance labour rights with the imperatives of national development and not put ordinary citizens at the receiving end of a needless power tussle, he said.
