The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a strong rebuke of Vice President Kashim Shettima following his recent endorsement of the Dangote Refinery amidst its ongoing labor conflict with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
On Tuesday, coinciding with the World Day for Decent Work, NLC President Joe Ajaero released a pointed statement condemning the Vice President’s alignment with corporate interests, which he argued comes at the detriment of Nigerian workers. Ajaero cautioned that the government’s current position risks deepening social unrest nationwide.
“We categorically reject Vice President Kashim Shettima‘s claim that the Dangote Group is a ‘national asset’ exempt from Nigeria’s labor regulations,” Ajaero asserted.
“This stance not only weakens the rule of law but dangerously suggests that immense wealth can place itself above legal obligations, implying that financial clout can override essential labor rights.”
The NLC leader further criticized the government for fostering a culture of impunity by protecting large corporations while ignoring the plight of ordinary Nigerian workers.
“By endorsing this blatant disregard for legal standards, the government is undermining respect for our institutions and empowering lawbreakers, effectively holding the nation hostage,” Ajaero stated.
“Such abdication of duty to defend the rights of Nigerian workers and vulnerable groups amounts to an open declaration of hostility against the citizenry.”
Ajaero stressed that the NLC will actively resist any attempts to erode workers’ rights under the pretext of safeguarding so-called national assets.
“We will not allow the rights of Nigerian laborers to be sacrificed on the altar of corporate gain. We are prepared to organize, mobilize, and fight back. No organization is above accountability,” he affirmed.
The NLC accused the Dangote Group of grossly violating workers’ rights to unionize and freely associate, describing the refinery’s labor practices as a “national disaster.”
“This reckless endorsement effectively condones the Dangote Group’s blatant suppression of workers’ freedom of association and union rights,” Ajaero explained.
“Rather than being a national treasure, Dangote’s conduct is a national embarrassment.”
The labor body also linked these alleged abuses at the refinery to a broader pattern of impunity in Nigeria’s industrial sector, citing recent mass layoffs at the NLNG Train 7 project in Bonny, Rivers State.
“Currently, contractors at the NLNG Train 7 site seem to be mirroring Dangote’s approach by dismissing thousands of local workers and replacing them with foreign laborers,” the NLC observed. “Their ‘offense’ was demanding rightful remittance of taxes to the government.”
Ajaero warned that no company, regardless of its size or influence, should be allowed to operate outside the bounds of Nigerian law.
“No enterprise, however large or strategically vital, is above the law or greater than Nigeria itself,” he declared. “If the Dangote Refinery is granted privileges that place it beyond legal scrutiny, the government must prepare for the inevitable unrest such injustice will ignite. Genuine peace cannot exist without justice.”
The NLC reiterated its call for stricter enforcement of labor laws and urged the government to abandon what it described as the “sacred cow syndrome.”
“The government must act decisively to demonstrate that the law applies equally to all. Its responsibility is to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation, not to sacrifice them for the benefit of wealthy capitalists,” Ajaero insisted.
“We demand the empowerment of labor institutions to ensure rigorous compliance with industrial relations laws. The era of unchecked impunity must end.”
In conclusion, Ajaero urged Nigerian workers to unite in defense of their rights, warning that the NLC will not hesitate to mobilize against any form of worker exploitation or suppression.
“The working class and the marginalized majority are the true pillars of Nigeria’s prosperity, and we will not allow our rights to be traded away,” he concluded.