1. Dangote took a mortgage to construct his refinery and paid again the mortgage by spherical tripping of Nigeria’s overseas reserves. He collected {dollars} at backed price and spherical tripped it to make income. That alone affected the greenback availability and charges. He constructed and paid for his refinery out of your sufferings.
2. Dangote buys crude in Naira and sells gasoline at worldwide oil market charges. This is the person who promised to make gasoline low-cost, but his costs are at par with NNPC imported gasoline costs. So the place is the acquire for Nigerians? So we’ve got not gained something as we nonetheless pay the identical value for Dangote gasoline as these imported into Nigeria by NNPC and different entrepreneurs. In reality, a selected importer/ marketer (BOVAS) even sells cheaper than Dangote. In Port Harcourt, I purchase gasoline at #880 per liter whereas NNPC sells at #885, and MRS (Dangote) sells at #890. So inform me the positive factors of Dangote refinery, besides to enlarge his empire.
3. Dangote buys gasoline from NNPC in Naira and nonetheless exports the gasoline to Europe and different African nations in {dollars}. Who is gaining. Definitely not Nigeria, and when NNPC says he should purchase in {dollars}, he tells Nigerians that he would promote his gasoline in {dollars}. Is that not a violation of the regulation that requires that each one enterprise transactions in Nigeria be made in our native foreign money?
4. The similar Dangote who constructed a refinery from the cash he obtained from our overseas reserve on backed charges now employs extra Indians than Nigerians. How a lot did Indian authorities contribute to the constructing of that refinery? Is it not {economic} sabotage to take pleasure in tax holidays and backed foreign exchange from Nigeria and provides the profit to Indians? Those who assist this {economic} sabotage are actual enemies of Nigeria, not the union.
5. Dangote pays Indians in Dollars however pays Nigerians in Naira, but sells his gasoline in {dollars}. Who is the sabotaging nationwide pursuits right here.
6. Nigerian staff in Dangote refinery are subjected to the worst type of enslavement – poor salaries, poor situation of companies, poor medical care, poor HSE requirements. The Indians are handled as “expatriates,” whereas Nigerians are handled like slaves in their very own nation. That can’t occur in India or any nation.
7. The staff determined to hitch union which is their basic rights as enshrined within the Constitution of Nigeria, the Labour Acts, and ILO conference however slightly than respect the rights of these staff, Dangote selected to sack them. What type of impunity is that? Should Dangote now grow to be greater than the Constitution of Nigeria?
Those who’re attacking the union are both grossly ignorant or simply expressing the biases which might be allowed. But one query that they need to ask themselves is, “Will I accept to the treated like the Dangote employees in my own place of work?” This is a query solely your conscience ought to reply.
But for us in PENGASSAN, Dangote shouldn’t be above the regulation. He shouldn’t be the most important investor in Nigeria. In reality, he’s Nigeria’s greatest {economic} saboteur judging from what he has finished to our economic system from rice to sugar to cement, and now he’s coming into oil and fuel. He should be stopped.
Comr. Joshua E. Owhor.
