Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, Man­aging Director of the Authority, made the statement in Abuja, following frequent and excessive external union infiltrations that have destabilised the smooth op­eration of the Dangote Refinery.

Recall that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Associ­ation of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) shut down critical oil and gas facilities last week over allega­tions that Dangote refinery had sacked 800 workers who joined the union.

However, the Dangote refin­ery held that it only sacked a few workers who were allegedly sabotaging the facility, claiming this was part of the company’s reorganization.

The NEPZA boss stated that the recent escalation of the trade dispute between the zone and the PENGASSAN, particularly giv­en the refinery’s status as a Free Trade Zone, was worrisome.

He added that the trade union should have directed its concerns through NEPZA, as required by law, as the Authority operated a One-Stop-Shop administrative model to fast-track processes.

“Section 18(5) of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones (NEP­ZA) Act provides that “there shall be no strikes or lock-outs for a period of ten years following the commencement of operations within a Zone, and the Authori­ty shall resolve any trade dispute arising within a Zone,’’ he said.

According to him, the above provision imposes a 10-year pro­hibition on strikes and lockouts within Free Zones while still al­lowing workers to join or form trade unions and engage in col­lective bargaining.

“We are pleased that the con­flict has been de-escalated. Dan­gote Refinery is a declared FTZ that continues to benefit from tax incentives and customs duty waivers to support the economy, and NEPZA regulates it.

“The Free Trade Zone scheme in Nigeria is slightly over 30 years old, and we ought to be familiar with the scheme and the global rules that guide the operation of this world economic model, which aims to accelerate eco­nomic development and indus­trialisation.”