Dangote: Women’s Group Plans Protest Against PENGASSAN

A coalition of women’s groups united under the Women in Trade Alliance (WOTA) has issued a stern warning, indicating their intentions to organize widespread protests directed at the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The primary concern driving this mobilization stems from their perception of PENGASSAN’s attempts to impede the activities of the Dangote Refinery.

In a statement released by the Secretary of the alliance, Mrs. Dorothy Ninret, and disseminated to the press in Abuja on Monday, the women’s group emphasized the pivotal role played by Dangote’s investments in alleviating the burden of fuel prices. They voiced their unequivocal stance against the unwarranted interference of trade unions, cautioning that Nigerian women stand prepared to take to the streets should such actions persist.

Mrs. Ninret vehemently asserted that the current industrial action targeting Dangote Refinery is entirely superfluous and at odds with the interests of the populace, characterizing it as a maneuver orchestrated by entrenched oil interests seeking to plunge Nigeria back into an era of soaring fuel prices and manipulation of the market dynamics.

Expressing deep concern over the ongoing unrest directed at the Dangote Refinery, the women’s coalition implored the government to exercise its authority by reining in the unions before the nation regresses into the dark days of uncontrollable price surges and market instabilities.

Recalling the sustained effort of the Dangote Refinery since 2024 in consistently reducing petroleum product prices, the women’s alliance underscored the facility’s critical role in helping Nigerians navigate the harsh economic climate post the subsidy removal.

The coalition opined that any obstruction directed at the Dangote intervention does not only impede the company but hampers the progress of the entire populace. They castigated the unions for their narrow vested interests at the detriment of the collective welfare, highlighting their historical involvement in the ineffective government-owned refineries, where their actions were driven by personal gains rather than national interest.

Questioning the prolonged tolerance of these opportunistic unionists by the government, WOTA urged the authorities and pertinent stakeholders to resist any collusion aimed at undermining the operations of the Dangote Refinery. They asserted that the refinery’s initiatives have been the sole source of tangible relief for Nigerians following the subsidy removal, emphasizing the dire need to prioritize national interests over individual agendas.