The face-off between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has escalated into a fiery war of words.
On Friday, Dangote Refinery threw a heavy punch, demanding that the union explain to Nigerians what happened to the mind-blowing $18 billion allegedly poured into Nigeria’s comatose government-owned refineries without results.
For decades, the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have remained idle, swallowing trillions in “turnaround maintenance” projects that never turned anything around. Yet, the same union now crying foul about Dangote’s operations once resisted the 2007 privatisation of the same refineries, which included Dangote’s consortium as buyer.
Dangote’s statement was scathing:
“NUPENG should help Nigerians unravel the mystery of how $18bn vanished into so-called rehabilitation of refineries that never worked. Who pocketed the money? Who killed our refineries?”
The company further reminded Nigerians that when the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were once privatised in 2007, NUPENG led the protests that forced a reversal. Now, after billions wasted and zero production, the refineries remain dead.
On accusations that it plans to monopolise fuel distribution, Dangote fired back, insisting its refinery operates under a deregulated market overseen by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
“Talk of monopoly is false. The real monopoly was decades of government pumping billions into failed refineries while Nigerians suffered fuel scarcity.”
This latest clash has ignited a storm of debate: Who is really holding Nigerians hostage—Dangote or those who buried the refineries in corruption?
