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Tag: PENGASSAN

  • NANS condemns PENGASSAN over forced unionization at Dangote Refinery, warns against economic sabotage

    NANS condemns PENGASSAN over forced unionization at Dangote Refinery, warns against economic sabotage

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has criticized what it described as the anti-masses stance of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and denounced the alleged forced unionization of workers at the Dangote Refinery.

    The student body also declared its unwavering support for the Dangote Refinery, warning against actions capable of sabotaging Nigeria’s economic growth and discouraging indigenous investment in the oil and gas sector.

    During a peaceful protest at Oworo Berger, Lagos, students and youths carried placards bearing messages such as “Dangote Refinery—Pride of Africa,” “Stop the Sabotage,” and “Support Indigenous Industries, Not Monopoly.” The demonstration, held under the supervision of officers of the Nigerian Police, called on stakeholders to protect local enterprises driving national development.

    NANS President, Comrade Olusola Oladoja—represented by the association’s National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Adeyemi Ajasa—said the demonstration served as a national warning to both the government and industry stakeholders that Nigerian students and youths would not tolerate economic sabotage.

    Oladoja cautioned international saboteurs and their local collaborators against frustrating operations at Dangote Refinery and other emerging private refineries, drawing parallels with the collapse of Nigeria’s once-thriving textile industry due to policy neglect and unfair competition.

    He alleged that importers of petroleum products, international oil companies (IOCs), and certain trade unions were conspiring to undermine private refineries through undue pressure and regulatory manipulation.

    Reacting to reports of PENGASSAN’s attempts to compel Dangote Refinery workers to join its union, Oladoja described the move as unconstitutional and a violation of Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association.

    “Private refinery workers have every right to decide whether or not to join any union,” he said. “Just as lecturers in private universities are not forced to join ASUU, and teachers in private schools are not under COEASU, refinery workers must not be coerced into union membership.”

    Oladoja outlined four key demands from the federal government: “Prioritize crude oil supply to all Nigerian refineries, including private ones; end crude under-valuation and the practice of selling cheaper crude to foreign refineries; incentivize local refineries to strengthen domestic production and reduce dependence on petroleum importation in favor of supporting indigenous refining capacity.”

    He reaffirmed that Nigerian students stand firmly for industrial growth, job creation, and economic independence, declaring that NANS would resist any attempt to sabotage private investments in the oil and gas sector.

  • Dangote, PENGASSAN crisis: Youths protest in Ibadan

    Dangote, PENGASSAN crisis: Youths protest in Ibadan

    Thousands of students and youths from the Southwest under the aegis of Coalition of Yoruba Students and Youth Movement (COYSYM), yesterday protested in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, over what they described as unpatriotic attack and orchestrated blackmail against Dangote Refinery.

    The students, who hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the courage in the removal of fuel subsidy, fingered trade unions in the oil and gas sector, including Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) for being behind the attack on the nation’s private refinery.

    The group said it had uncovered, through credible information, that PENGASSAN, NUPENG and DAPPMAN, in collaboration with certain international oil companies and traders, were deliberately instigating disruptions to frustrate Dangote Refinery.

    It added that there were multiple attempts to obstruct Dangote Refinery’s operations and undermine its credibility, noting that the acts of economic sabotage must not be tolerated.

    COYSYM is a united front of all Yoruba indigenous youth and student organisations across Nigeria, including National Association of Oduduwa Students (NAOS), Yoruba Council Worldwide and Coalition of Osun State Youth and Students Association (COSSYA), among others.

    The protesters, clad in customised T-shirts and face cap, defied the early morning rains to assemble at Iwo Road under bridge, carrying banners, placards and singing solidarity songs to enlighten the public on the threat against the benefit of the refinery in transforming the oil and gas sector.

    Some of the placards read: “Government support Dangote Refinery Now. Support Dangote, Save Nigerians. Stop Sabotage. Support Dangote. Dangote Refinery is Nigeria’s Pride”, “PENGASSAN: Nigeria’s alpha and omega, stop holding Nigeria hostage. Free Dangote”, “Support Dangote, not cartel! Our oil, our right, support Dangote.”

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    Others read: “Don’t kill Dangote Refinery”, “Dangote Refinery is pride of Nigeria”, “We kick against the anti-masses policies of PENGASSAN, DAPPMAN and NUPENG. Stop sabotaging fuel supply in Nigeria. Let the masses breath”, “PENGASSAN, DAPPMAN and NUPENG: Stop causing problem in the oil sector in Nigeria”, among others.

    The protest, which caused traffic jam at Iwo Road end of Ibadan-Ife Expressway, resulted in many commuters becoming stranded.

    Traffic officers, including officials of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Police, among others had a hectic time controlling traffic.

    Addressing the crowd, the National President of COYSYM, Comrade Benedict Adetunji, advised the Federal Government to prioritise the allocation of crude oil to Nigerian-owned refineries at fair and competitive rates.

    He said the group embarked on the protest rally out of deep sense of patriotism and commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability.

    He called for the stoppage of crude to foreign refineries at cheaper prices, as well as end to the importation of petroleum products and support for domestic refining.

  • Dangote, PENGASSAN crisis: Youth coalition protest in Ibadan

    Dangote, PENGASSAN crisis: Youth coalition protest in Ibadan

    Thousands of students and youths from the Southwest region under the aegis of Coalition of Yoruba Students and Youth Movement (COYSYM) on Tuesday staged a massive protest in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to tackle what they described as unpatriotic attacks and orchestrated blackmail against Dangote Refinery.

    The students who commended President Bola Tinubu for the courage in the removal of fuel subsidy fingered trade unions in the oil and gas sector including Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) as been behind the attack on the nation’s private Refinery.

    The group also said it has uncovered, through credible information, that PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and DAPPMAN, in collaboration with certain international oil companies and traders, are deliberately instigating disruptions to frustrate Dangote Refinery.

    It added that there are multiple attempts to obstruct its operations and undermine its credibility, noting that the acts of economic sabotage must not be tolerated.

    COYSYM is a united front of all Yoruba Indigenous Youth and Student Organisations across Nigeria, including the National Association of Oduduwa Students (NAOS), Yoruba Council Worldwide, and the Coalition of Osun State Youth and Students Association (COSSYA), among others.

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    The protesters dressed in customised t-shirts and fez caps defied the early morning rain to assemble at the Iwo Road underbridge, carried banners, placards, and sang solidarity songs to enlighten members of the public on the threat against the benefit of the refinery in transforming the oil and gas sector.

    Some of the inscriptions on the placards read, “Government supports Dangote Refinery Now. Support Dangote, Save Nigerians. Stop Sabotage. Support Dangote. Dangote Refinery is Nigeria’s Pride”, “PENGASSAN: Nigeria’s alpha and omega, stop holding Nigeria hostage. Free Dangote,”, Our oil, our right, support Dangote”.

    Others read, “Don’t kill Dangote Refinery”, “Dangote Refinery is the pride of Nigeria”, “We kick against the anti-masses policies of PENGASSAN, DAPPMAN and NUPENG. Stop sabotaging fuel supply in Nigeria. Let the masses breathe”, “PENGASSAN, DAPPMAN and NUPENG: Stop causing problems in the oil sector in Nigeria”, among others.

    The protest, which led to a heavy traffic jam at the Iwo Road end of the Ibadan-Ife Expressway, saw many commuters stranded for minutes.

    Traffic officers, including officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Police, among others, had a hectic time controlling traffic as commuters trying to use the road inward into the capital city suffered mild delays.

    Addressing the massive crowd, the National President, Comrade Benedict Adetunji, urged the Federal Government to prioritise the allocation of crude oil to all Nigerian-owned refineries at fair and competitive rates.

    He said the group embarked on the protest rally out of a deep sense of patriotism and unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability.

    He also called for the stoppage of crude to foreign refineries at cheaper prices than to local refineries, as well as an end to the importation of petroleum products, and support for domestic refining.

    Reading the position paper while addressing the crowd, Comrade Adetunji said, “We bring you warm and revolutionary greetings from the Coalition of Yoruba Students and Youth Movement (COYSYM) a united front of all Yoruba Indigenous Youth and Student Organisations across Nigeria, including the National Association of Oduduwa Students (NAOS), Yoruba Council Worldwide, and the Coalition of Osun State Youth and Students Association (COSSYA), among others.

    “We are compelled by the negative and anti-national activities of PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and DAPPMAN to present this position paper today, 7th October 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, the political headquarters of the Southwest, out of our deep sense of patriotism and unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability.

    “First and foremost, we commend Your Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for your bold and visionary leadership, particularly your courage in the removal of fuel subsidy, which has brought remarkable improvement to fuel supply and market stability across the nation. Your steadfast drive for industrialisation and economic recovery remains commendable.

    “However, we express our deep concern over the recent unpatriotic attacks and orchestrated blackmail by PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and DAPPMAN against the Dangote Refinery, a world-class facility that stands as the pride of Nigeria and the entire African continent. This refinery, situated within our Yoruba region, represents a symbol of industrial hope, self-reliance, and national rebirth. It deserves support and protection, not sabotage.

    “Your Excellency, the survival and success of Dangote Refinery is crucial to achieving your administration’s vision of making Nigeria a production-driven economy rather than one dependent on importation. No nation grows by importing what it can produce. The only path to true economic revival lies in increasing our export capacity and reducing unnecessary importation.

    “For decades, PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and DAPPMAN have crippled Nigeria’s oil sector through incessant strikes, policy manipulations, and industrial sabotage. Their leadership has placed personal and corporate interests above national progress. These unions, often aligned with import cartels, have benefited from fuel importation at the expense of local refining. Their existence, in its current form, has done more harm than good to Nigeria’s economy.

    “As the sons and daughters of the Yoruba Nation, and as the hosts of the Dangote Refinery, we call on Your Excellency, our leader and father, to intervene decisively. Let us not allow these saboteurs to destroy what has taken decades and billions of naira to build. Dangote Refinery is not just a private investment; it is a national asset capable of providing employment, stabilizing fuel supply, and saving billions in foreign exchange.”

    The group “urges the federal government to prioritise the allocation of crude oil to all Nigerian-owned refineries at fair and competitive rates.

    “Stop the sale of crude to foreign refineries at cheaper prices than to our local refineries.

    “End the importation of petroleum products and support domestic refining.

    “A historical lesson must guide us: in the past, Nigeria’s textile industry was the second-largest employer after the Federal Government, but reckless importation policies led to its total collapse. Even in advanced economies like the United States, President Donald Trump introduced high import tariffs to protect domestic industries and jobs. Nigeria must do the same to protect its strategic sectors.

    “We have also uncovered, through credible information, that PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and DAPPMAN, in collaboration with certain international oil companies and traders such as Trafigura, Vitol, Glencore, BP, and Shell, are deliberately instigating disruptions to frustrate Dangote Refinery. Reports indicate multiple attempts to obstruct its operations and undermine its credibility. These are acts of economic sabotage that must not be tolerated.

    “Your Excellency, Alhaji Aliko Dangote must not be made to regret his patriotic investment in Nigeria. Rather, he deserves national protection and encouragement. His contributions toward industrialisation, employment generation, and economic diversification embody your Renewed Hope Agenda.

    “As Yoruba students and youth, known for our love, unity, and hospitality, we appeal passionately to Your Excellency and all Yoruba leaders, Royal Fathers, traditional rulers, and stakeholders to rise in defence of Dangote Refinery and reject all agents of economic regression.

    “Nigeria will only rise when Nigerians believe in and support Nigeria. No foreign power will build this nation for us. The time has come to reward patriotism and punish sabotage. We remain committed to a better, stronger, and self-sufficient Nigeria.”

  • Dangote Refinery vs PENGASSAN

    Dangote Refinery vs PENGASSAN

    • While the refinery must obey the law on unionism, the union too must know that strike has limit

    Nigerians would, no doubt, have heaved a sigh of relief at the relatively swift ending to the tussle between the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Union (PENGASSAN) over the former’s dismissal of some workers on union-related matters.

    Going by the account of PENGASSAN president, Festus Osifo, the problem started when close to 1,000 workers filled forms to join PENGASSAN in accordance with Section 40 of the constitution. The union, he said, wrote to Dangote Refinery to inform it of the development only for the company to send teams to verify those names shortly after which it handed them sack letters. Some 800 workers were said to be affected.

    However, whereas the allegation of sabotage also featured at some point, Dangote Refinery merely insisted that the disengagement of the workers had nothing to do with the issue of unionisation; and that it was as a result of the ongoing reorganisation in the company.

    Thanks to the government mediators, matters have since been resolved. The workers would now be re-engaged by other entities within the Dangote conglomerate with no loss of pay, even as both parties recommit to the right of the workers to unionise.

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    Yet, settled as the dusts appear, it is trite to say that the issues provoked by the ruckus are such that the country can only ignore at the risk of stability. In the situation that parties not directly related to the issues in conflict have been counting their losses in millions of dollars and of man-hours lost, Nigerians can only shudder at the overall costs of the showdown over what is an unequal scale of revenge by the union against perceived power.

    A telling example is the post-strike assessment by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) of 283,000 barrels of crude, the 1.7 billion standard cubic feet of gas – all of them lost each day the strike lasted; in addition to the 20 percent shortfall in power supply experienced; all because PENGASSAN chose to figuratively poke its finger in the nation’s eye to prove the potency of its fading power, rather than engage.

    Whether of orchestrated rage, acute sense of unbridled power, or even the matching fire of inscrutable arrogance, it is not exactly that Nigerians are unfamiliar with the unions’ hard tactics in their endless contestation with the authorities even when issues at stake have little to do with welfare in the workplace.

    In this particular instance, it is sad to note that PENGASSAN merely acted to type. Without adequate notice and with no pretences to seeking a negotiated pathway, it directed its members in various offices, companies, institutions, and agencies to cease all services effective 12:01 am Monday, September 29. Those stationed in various field locations were to down tools from 6:00 am on Sunday, September 28.

    It went further: “All processes involving gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should be halted immediately,” and “All IOC (International Oil Companies) branches must ramp down gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery and petrochemicals”.

    Such directives, even in extraordinary times, would have been deemed as a bridge too far in the fight for their members’ rights. Aside being a declaration of war on Dangote Refinery as indeed every Nigerian, it was a case of the union being unable to appreciate the weight of public interest when put side-by-side with those of its members.

    Although a nominal third party, the NNPC Limited said that the industrial action “has impacts that extend beyond the Dangote Refinery. The disruptions pose systemic risks to energy supply, personnel and asset security and the wider economy”.

    It further avers: “A sustainable solution is required to prevent such an extensive interruption of the overall energy security infrastructure and to safeguard national energy security and stability”. If we may add, such disruptions, which for all intents and purposes, amount to gross irresponsibility on the part of PENGASSAN , should never again be condoned by the government. In fact, class action suits by those directly impacted by the PENGASSAN directive should not be ruled out under our relevant laws. 

    Having said that, it is a well-known fact that there has been no love-lost between the oil industry unions and the Dangote Refinery right from the time it started operation. And this goes beyond the typical, mutual antipathy as one might expect of a union versus management. Safe to say that theirs go a long way back to 2007 when the sale of the two refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna to the Bluestar Consortium promoted by Aliko Dangote was aborted by late president, Umaru Yar’Adua, largely at the instigation of the unions.

    With the $20 billion Dangote Refinery now fully on-stream, not only has the mutual antipathy persisted, it has manifested in a different form. Yet, it is inevitable that the union would want more members in to further solidify the base of its staying power, anchored on the need to have a say on matters pertaining to the interests of its members. The Dangote Refinery, ever suspicious of union activities, apparently considers this an anathema of sorts, particularly at this time, one fraught with dangers to its long term, corporate interests.

    Interestingly, a similar scenario had been enacted in an earlier confrontation between Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), particularly its petroleum tankers wing. Whereas the problem, far from resolution, appears to have been kicked down the road, the challenge for the parties is how to find the common ground for cooperation and mutual respect. Rather than work at this, both parties have chosen to be big on the ego side while missing on good faith.

    In all, the issues being clear enough lend to no ambiguity:  the right of the workers to join whatever unions that suit them. This right is non-negotiable. This right, being not so much of a choice but of the law, deserves to be respected by Dangote Refinery in particular. We say this to the extent that the unions too will play within the confines of the law, and by doing nothing to put the interest of the business into jeopardy.

    Here is a final reminder to the unions: each time they seek to press their case about Dangote Refinery acting in bad faith; of being anti-union or even worse; a fact not easily lost on Nigerians is their complicity in fostering not just the corruption but the rot that currently assails the industry. If Nigerians are not buying their verbiage, as it is in the current case, it is only on account of their desperate quest for equity with soiled hands.

  • When PENGASSAN sneezes

    When PENGASSAN sneezes

    The former President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele, while speaking to TVC News last week, on the importance of the quick intervention by the federal government in the trade dispute between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery ironically espoused the grave danger which the recent strike action by PENGASSAN constituted to the national economy.

    In the words of the trade unionist: “You have seen government running in so quickly to address the issues because when PENGASSAN sneezes, we know what that means. Cutting gas supply, cutting oil supply, that is the live wire of Nigeria’s economy.” Implicit in that statement is the fact that PEGASSAN has the power to cripple the Nigerian economy if it wishes. Indeed, the union bared its teeth, and the nation shuddered when it ordered that gas and oil supply to even non-combatants in the dispute be shut down.

    Ordinarily, there are parties to every trade dispute, and in the instant case, it was between DANGOTE Refinery and the members of PENGASSAN. Section 1(2) of the Trade Disputes Act, provides: “In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires – “the dispute” means the trade dispute in question; and “the party” means a party to the dispute.” Clearly, the recent dispute was between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery and yet when PENGASSAN wanted to cut gas supply, it did not restrict its action to the parties is dispute as provided by the law.

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    So, why did PENGASSAN escalate the dispute to affect the supply of gas and crude to other companies and entities not involved in the trade dispute? Of course, PENGASSAN knows that while the right to call a strike is implicit in the Nigerian laws, the legal regime is quite rigorous when followed. Section 4 of the Trade Dispute Act, provides that before a dispute is reported, parties must first attempt settlement, and where they cannot agree, the parties shall within seven days appoint a mediator.

    Section 6 of the Act, provides that where the mediator is unable to settle, the parties shall report to the minister in writing, and the minister, according to section 7, shall appoint a conciliator to effect a settlement. Where the conciliator is unable to settle, section 9 provides, that the minister shall within 14 days refer the matter to the Industrial Arbitration Panel. Section 14 of the Trade Disputes Act, provides that where there is objection to an award by the Tribunal, the dispute shall be referred to the National Industrial Court.

    Section 17 provides for direct reference to the National Industrial Court in certain special cases, and its subsection “a” provides for direct reference where “the dispute is one to which workers employed in any essential service are a party.” On what constitutes essential services, paragraph 2(a) of the first schedule to the Trade Disputes Act, provides: “Any service established, provided or maintained … for, or in connection with, the supply of electricity, power or water, or of fuel of any kind.” 

    Even when one concedes that the Nigeria’s legal regime may be too difficult for a trade union to follow, which is why in every settlement, a trade union extracts that no member should be punished for participation in a strike, it does not imply that a union should call a strike at the drop of hat, just because if the union sneezes, the nation will catch cold. A trade union which possess such enormous power to cripple a national economy should use it sparingly.

    Indeed, while this column is peremptorily sympathetic to trade unions which ordinarily are weaker when in contest with the state, it is extremely dangerous that a trade union could be imbued with such power as exhibited as PENGASSAN. Before a union calls a strike that has the capacity to cripple the nation, it must diligently follow due process. It cannot call out Dangote Refinery for allegedly sacking its members without due process and then rely on an illegal process to bring the alleged offender and even non-offenders to account.

    The way forward is for government to insist that trade unions should fully democratise and be accountable to its members. Of course, it won’t come without a fight from the officials, who have been benefiting from the current system. The trade unions must understand that where they are dealing with private companies, they wont have the luxury of eating their cake, and still have it in the fridge. The imbroglio with Dangote should be a lesson that the era of trade unions in the oil industry holding everyone to ransom may be over.

    PENGASSAN, must realise that Dangote Refinery is different from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), which the government officials and the workers treat as cash-cow for themselves, rather than a business entity for the general shareholders. Members of PENGASSAN in NNPC, and its several affiliates could afford to wrestle their companies to ground knowing that those who ordinarily should ask questions about the financial health of the government owned companies, are in bed with them, jointly raping the companies.

    How on earth would the corrupt ministry officials raise any eyebrow about NNPC and its affiliates, when they are in cahoots in with the unions in taking what does not belong to them? Nigerians know that the NNPC and its affiliates run opaque systems and so when the trade unions use their power to extort their own share of the proverbial national cake, they can get away with it. But the Dangote Refinery is a different ball game and the prime mover, Aliko Dangote is a boardroom shark, whose driving force is the financial bottom line.

    As they would have realized, they just goaded their now former members to a cul-de-sac. The pyrrhic victory which they achieved in getting Dangote to agree to send the reabsorbed workers to its sister companies, namely the Sugar and Cement companies, automatically makes the reabsorbed workers, non-members of PENGASSAN. We wait to see how the unions in the oil industries would protect their technically estranged members who no longer belong to their unions, when the dragon turns them to ‘suya’ for lunch.

    There is no reason why all oil workers should be members of either PENGASSAN or NUPENG, as that should apply to other trade unions. Section 3(1) provides: “An application for the registration of a trade union shall be made to the registrar in the prescribed form and shall be signed by (a) in the case of a trade union of workers, by at least fifty members of the union.” Also, person with the resources to set up refinery should get similar encouragement as Aliko Dangote got, to open shop. Once monopoly is killed, within the unions and the industries, Nigerians will breath freely.

  • Group tasks PENGASSAN, NUPENG to build private refinery with accrued check-off dues

    Group tasks PENGASSAN, NUPENG to build private refinery with accrued check-off dues

    The Stand-Up South South Security Group has advised the leadership of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to utilise the accrued members check-off dues to build a private Refinery for both unions.

    In a statement on Monday by Comrade Endurance Ukutegbere, National Secretary, the group gave the advice in view of the recent dispute between management of Dangote Refinery and leadership of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) over unionisation of workers in Dangote Refinery and payment of check-off dues.

    According to the group: “ Going forward, it has become imperative for PENGASSAN and NUPENG to start planning to build a private Refinery with the check-off dues being paid by members”

    “The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers NUPENG were established the same time in 1977 and 1978 respectively, both unions can pull resources together to build a private Refinery.’

    The group also alleged that some members of PENGASSAN were handling operation and maintenance in all the NNPCL Refineries, and yet the NNPCL Refineries are not working, who should be blamed? . The FG and NNPCL must stop those sabotaging the NNPC Refineries “

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    “ Both PENGASSAN and NUPENG have been collecting these check-off dues from members since inception till now, and the accrued dues if properly harnessed may as well be enough to have built or build a Refinery solely belonging to the two unions. This suggestion to PENGASSAN and NUPENG to consider building their own Refinery, it is because there is almost no hope for when the government owned moribund Refineries would come back to life”

    It stated: “ Therefore, the PENGASSAN and NUPENG can start thinking in the direction of obtaining a Refinery license from the Federal Government. The check-off dues from all members of PENGASSAN and NUPENG can be adequately channeled to building a private Refinery in any part of the Country, preferably, in the oil rich South South region ( Niger Delta).”

    The group expressed appreciation to patriotic Nigerians who have built modular Refineries in the country, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote for building the World’s largest single train Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos State, Nigeria.

    “We strongly believe that PENGASSAN and NUPENG can put resources together from check-off dues to build a private modular Refinery, which will be of help to its members, create employment, and support the economy. The Nigerians who had the courage and taken the risk to invest in building Refineries in Nigeria, actually did so with a singular aim to free Nigeria from importation of refined products”

    “ It is possible that PENGASSAN and NUPENG can also follow this path to build a private Refinery, and we urge the Federal Government and regulatory agencies to consider issuing Refinery license to PENGASSAN and NUPENG”

    “ Instead of having a fight with management of Dangote Refinery, the leadership of PENGASSAN and NUPENG should rather compel the Federal Government to revive PH, Warri and Kaduna Refineries”

    “ Nigeria is the only Country we have, all citizens irrespective of religion, tribes and political affiliations must contribute and join hands together to build a better Nation for ourselves and unborn generations.”

  • Tinubu, Shettima step into Dangote–PENGASSAN dispute

    Tinubu, Shettima step into Dangote–PENGASSAN dispute

    …warn against threats to $20bn Refinery

    …NDP 2026–2030 will be consultative, participatory, and inclusive- Bagudu

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have waded directly into the ongoing dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, warning that nothing must be allowed to disrupt the operations of the $20 billion facility.

    Representing President Tinubu at the opening of the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #31) in Abuja on Monday, Vice President Shettima described Alhaji Aliko Dangote as “not just an individual, but an institution,” and urged labour unions to exercise restraint and seek peaceful dialogue in addressing industrial issues involving the refinery.

    According to Shettima, “Aliko Dangote is not just an individual. He’s an institution and the leading light in Nigeria’s economic development. How we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us.”

    He explained that the refinery — financed through a mix of equity, debt, and local and foreign bank loans — must remain operational to meet its financial obligations and sustain national economic stability.

    “The refinery has to function to service the debt,” Shettima said. “We cannot hold the whole nation to ransom because of issues that we can amicably settle across the table.”

    The Vice President stressed that Dangote’s decision to invest massively in Nigeria, rather than abroad, was an act of faith in the country’s future.

    “If he had invested $10 billion in Microsoft, Amazon, or Google, he might be worth $70 to $80 billion today. But he chose to invest in Nigeria, and we owe it to future generations to promote, preserve, and protect the interests of this very Nigerian,” Shettima stated.

    He called for “caution, introspection, and a sense of accountability from all the organized and independent private sector players” to maintain industrial peace and a sustainable investment climate.

    “It’s not about holding the gold medal for ransom,” he said. “Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN; Nigeria is greater than every one of us. I’m not speaking as a partisan but as a Nigerian in search of solutions to our national challenges.”

    The Vice President disclosed that the Federal Government has tasked the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) with providing policy recommendations to help resolve the issue and prevent future disruptions to strategic industries.

    “This is off-the-cuff,” Shettima clarified, “but it reflects the true position of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian people.”

    Turning to broader economic issues, Vice President Shettima said the government remains confident that Nigeria will overcome its current economic challenges through industrialization, infrastructure development, and human-centered policies.

    “As Nigerians, we are not condemned to low growth, high costs, and low trust,” he said. “We will stabilize. We will industrialize. We will humanize our economy. We will stabilize prices and currency, and we will industrialize through power, logistics, and technology.”

    He added that the administration is determined to ensure that governance serves every citizen.

    “We will humanize governance so that every citizen feels respected and served,” he said. “Our priority remains restoring hope to the unemployed, the poor, the excluded, and the vulnerable.”

    According to him, the government has created pathways for young Nigerians to access grants, loans, and equity investments of up to $100,000 to grow their enterprises, innovate, and build sustainable livelihoods.

    He also announced a N200 billion intervention fund to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and manufacturers in overcoming structural challenges and enhancing competitiveness.

    “Our expansion of digital micro-loan access has improved financial inclusion, empowered small businesses, and stimulated community-level productivity,” Shettima said.

    On fiscal policy, the Vice President said the newly signed Tax Reform Act—which introduced the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act—marks a major recalibration of the nation’s tax architecture.

    “These reforms will boost domestic revenue mobilization, reduce dependence on oil, and simplify compliance,” he said. “They protect low-income earners, ensure fairness in corporate taxation, and strengthen digital innovation in tax administration.”

    Shettima noted that infrastructure development remains central to the government’s growth agenda, with more than 440 road projects covering over 2,700 kilometres of highways and bridges currently under construction nationwide.

    “These investments are the address of national prosperity,” he said. “They facilitate commerce and strengthen national unity.”

    He also announced the launch of the Renewed Hope Ward-Based Development Programme, a grassroots initiative designed to empower citizens across all 8,809 wards in the 774 local government areas of Nigeria.

    “The programme seeks to map local economic activities, human capital, infrastructure, and resource endowment, ensuring no community is left behind,” Shettima said. “Communities will directly influence planning and budgeting to ensure inclusivity and transparency.”

    He called on state governments to align their development agendas with the Renewed Hope framework to ensure coordinated progress.

    “Our challenges are daunting but not insurmountable,” he stated. “Our ticket to achieving inclusive and lasting prosperity is sound policies, strong partnerships, and the commitment of the private sector.”

    Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said Nigeria’s next National Development Plan (NDP 2026–2030), guided by the Nigeria Agenda 2050, targets a $1 trillion GDP by 2030.

    He said achieving this goal would require an average annual GDP growth rate of 8.78 percent, a 17.18 percent manufacturing contribution to GDP, and a 24.78 percent manufactured export share by 2030.

    “The process of developing the NDP 2026–2030 will be consultative, participatory, and inclusive,” Bagudu said. “We will involve the private sector, state and local governments, political parties, civil society organizations, labour unions, and other key stakeholders.”

    He explained that the Renewed Hope Ward-Based Development Programme would be one of the key focus areas of the summit, describing it as “an ambitious, people-centred initiative designed to uplift economically active citizens and ensure that ordinary Nigerians, particularly those at the grassroots, directly feel the positive impact of government reforms.”

    In his remarks, NESG Chairman, Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, said Nigeria must now move from economic stabilization to sustained transformation, embedding reforms that drive jobs, growth, and inclusion.

    “The challenge before us is to move decisively into the consolidation phase—turning fragile recovery into resilient, inclusive growth,” Yusuf said.

    He outlined seven priorities for consolidation: industrialization and enterprise growth; infrastructure development; investment attraction; fiscal sustainability; inclusion; institutional strengthening; and security.

    “Regulators, pseudo-regulators, and labour unions must all focus on promoting a positive investment climate that will attract and retain investors,” he said. “A narrow focus on internally generated revenue at the expense of business growth will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Dead businesses don’t employ workers, they don’t pay salaries, and they don’t pay taxes.”

    Yusuf urged the government to ensure that reforms translate into real improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians, saying, “If these priorities are achieved, consolidation will deliver broad-based growth and opportunity. Nigerians will then begin to feel that reforms are not just statistics, but real improvements in daily life.”

  • PENGASSAN vs Dangote: Refinery can seek compensation for breach of contract- Lawyer

    PENGASSAN vs Dangote: Refinery can seek compensation for breach of contract- Lawyer

    The festering crisis involving Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) will have rippled negative effects on the economy, Evans Ufeli Esq, Legal Practitioner and expert in Energy Resources Law, has said.

    Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Nation last night, Ufeli acknowledged the fact the law allows trade unions to take collective action.

    “Trade unions have the right to take collective action, including strikes, but that right is subject to statutory procedures, contract terms, and constitutional/International Labour Organisation (ILO) protections for freedom of association.”

    Raising some posers, Ufeli asked, “Were the dismissed workers unlawfully dismissed for union activity? Did PENGASSAN follow statutory dispute-resolution steps (conciliation/notice requirements) before directing industrial action? Is the direction a primary industrial action against Dangote directly or a secondary action/sympathy strike against third-party suppliers?”

    According to him, “Many legal systems (and Nigerian jurisprudence/practice) place tighter limits on secondary boycotts/secondary strikes and on inducing third parties to breach existing contracts. If PENGASSAN ordered members of other companies to breach their supply contracts, that may be vulnerable to court injunctions and civil liability (inducing breach, tortious interference). If PENGASSAN can show the sackings were unlawful unfair dismissals and complied with required procedures, its action is more defensible -but still risky if it causes third-party contractual breaches. There is a need to investigate unfair dismissal claims: ensure quick, impartial investigation of the sackings; if dismissals breach labour law or collective bargaining agreements, require remedial action.”

    As to whether the union’s action could lead Dangote to claim force majeure, and what are the wider implications, he said the consequences are dire.

    “Yes, a prolonged cut-off of feedstock or utilities could be framed by Dangote as a force majeure event if the refinery cannot perform because of circumstances beyond its control. Whether a force majeure clause applies depends entirely on the contract wording: some clauses expressly include strikes/industrial action, others do not, and many require that the event be unavoidable despite mitigation.”

    On the wider implications of a force majeure at a major refinery such Dangote Refinery can cascade through the economy -fuel/fertilizer/petrochemical shortages, price spikes, upstream and downstream contractual disputes, inventory depletion at buyers, job losses, supply chain disruptions for many industries, and potential fiscal/monetary impacts. Insurers may dispute coverage for industrial-action-related business interruption.

    Specifically, he said the direct consequences could be loss of throughput and revenues while operating below capacity or shutting units, breach of supply contracts with customers; exposure to penalties, claims for damages, increased operating cost if forced to buy alternative feedstock or import products, disruption to refinery scheduling, maintenance plans, and safety procedures, legal costs (injunctions, litigation, potential enforcement actions).

    Lamentably, Ufeli argued that the indirect consequences of the raging crisis could lead to reputational damage and investor concern, strained relations with other contractors and supply-chain partners, potential regulatory scrutiny and political fallout, just it could lead to workforce morale issues and difficulty recruiting with the even wider implications leading to macro effects such as impact on downstream companies and market perceptions of energy security.

    On the way forward, the Dangote Refinery can secure temporary alternative feedstock (imports), adjust production schedules, ration allocations to key customers, and use inventories where possible.

    “In terms of legal measures, Dangote can apply to the National Industrial Court for injunctive relief (to stop unlawful secondary action), sue for inducing breach of contract and recover damages, seek contempt sanctions if court orders are flouted.

    “This is just as labour/legal settlement can help mitigate the crisis by engaging with the Ministry of Labour, offer interim remedies (suspension of contested dismissals, binding arbitration, expedited grievance hearings), or negotiate a settlement to de-escalate.”

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    He also did not rule out public/political strategy, which he said could be achieved through transparent public communication emphasising legality and steps to protect supply; seek government facilitation.

    The oil giant, he stressed, must revisit its security architecture by ensuring security/continuity planning involving classifying critical assets, working with regulators to maintain operations and protect staff (while avoiding escalation).

    He also reiterated the fact that the federal government can mediate by directing the Ministry of Labour & Employment to convene conciliation/mediation between parties immediately; refer unresolved dispute to the National Industrial Court if necessary.

    “There must be enforcement of law. The parties must enforce court orders and prohibit unlawful secondary boycotts; regulators (Department of Petroleum Resources, NNPC where relevant) can coordinate to maintain supplies.”

    This is just as he urged the oil firm to expedite permits or logistics for alternative imports, release strategic stocks where applicable, and coordinate critical infrastructure protection.

    In terms of policy/regulatory response, Ufeli said parties in dispute must consider short-term measures to protect consumers/businesses dependent on the refinery and longer-term review of laws governing secondary industrial action, critical infrastructure protections and dispute resolution timelines.

    “The government actions should balance enforcing law/order and protecting the constitutional right to strike and freedom of association, to avoid appearing partisan or escalating tensions.

    “Dangote should immediately seek urgent legal advice to assess remedies and the likelihood of a force majeure defence, preserve contemporaneous records, and initiate emergency operational contingency plans. PENGASSAN and Dangote should be pressed into expedited mediation/arbitration under governmental or industry auspices to avoid prolonged disruption. All affected commercial partners should review their contracts for force majeure, hardship, and mitigation obligations and prepare contingency sourcing plans.”

  • Still in search of an authentic national consensus

    Still in search of an authentic national consensus

    The actuality has turned out to be more dire than the auguries. The sixty fifth anniversary of Nigeria has now come and gone. As it has been predicted, the national mood was sombre and subdued. As the day approached, the discerning could feel a thick pall of despondency in the air and an atmosphere of generalized desperation. It was as if the dispensing machines had run out of vending hope and optimism after a run on them. This is the staple fare of pain-killing morphine on which an embattled and embittered populace had depended on in sixty five years of trial and tribulation. But addiction to pain-killers, like the pain-killers themselves, often have their expiry date and time.

    Given the general state of perturbation and widespread anxiety in the land, one was not unduly surprised when the announcement came cancelling the Independence Day parade, thus stripping the occasion of its pomp and pageantry. Whenever you have this kind of unusual announcement, the airwaves are rife with rumours and unsettling speculations that something nasty was in the offing. In the event, rather than glad-handing and iron-pumping in Abuja, the president chose to remain in his Lagos residence from where he rallied the nation in an Independence speech of rousing bravery and exceptional tough-mindedness. But if the truth must be told, it was of little avail, for it was at this particular point that the PENGASSAN versus Dangote Refinery faceoff snowballed into a full-blown downing of tools by the oil-sector workers. As long queues resurfaced at the petrol station and as commuters and motorists alike began hunting for the rare stuff like primitive hunter-gatherers, the downbeat mood became even more sullied and unappeasable.

       Cashing in on the unfortunate situation, some of the leaders who have led the nation up this ruinous path began calling for drastic reform or revolution. The veteran roadrunner among them, without any sense of momentous irony, insisted that the time had come to smash the moribund system. Why he thinks he himself and his vast retinue will escape the fury of the revolutionary mob in the event of an upheaval remains a source of profound mystery. Even more worrisome is the possibility that the nation is being set up for a catastrophic descent into anarchy as a prelude or dress rehearsal for the voting year of 2027 and all its magical possibilities.

       But why the year 2025 in its ember phase and the occasion of its sixty fifth anniversary should cast such an ominous pall of magical possibilities on the nation deserve more scrutiny. It may well be that just as humans suffer anxiety neurosis so do nations. In the modern bureaucratic calendar that we have adopted, the age of sixty five is the ultimate and terminal retirement age, the sharp cut-off point of all elongated shenanigans, extensions, multiple additions and covert adjustments. The retiree must go into compulsory retirement to embrace the dark shadows of old age, senescence or senility as the case may be, if they are not recalled by their maker. This is the age in which the patients worry themselves to death about missed deadlines, missed opportunities, vanished timelines and datelines.

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       There is a time for everything. You cannot be fretting about interview schedules or frantic about fresh job opportunities when you are already at the departure lounge waiting for the final call. The dominance of oral culture in Africa allows us to take a bitter jig at our colonially imposed modern calendar with its mechanical and mechanistic framework which does not allow or permit creative laxity or imaginative evasions. Due to lack of public records, it is only in Africa that the same person could hold on to multiple birthdates on the ground that he was born several moons ago on a market day with birds singing and goats bleating furiously, or where a centenarian can often pass as a sprightly septuagenarian. But that too must end at some point, like the Egungun Festival which must terminate at some point no matter the associated merriments and festivities. Time is the ultimate leveler which must bring together all the contending classes including children of loafers and the scions of loaf-masters.

        History is the master of allegory or allegorized reality. History, in its actual lived experience and confounding perplexities, often simplifies reality for us and resolves its own conundrums as it unfolds and expands thrusting its heady contradictions at us as we struggle to make sense of its awesome imponderables. Only last week in this column, we narrated how this columnist was invited in 1985 by the duo of Dele Giwa and Ray Ekpu to contribute to a publication to commemorate the twenty fifth anniversary of the nation. As it was explained last Sunday, the columnist latched on to the image of a master paradox to explain away the strange combination of magnificent strengths and gargantuan weaknesses which seem to have defined the existence of the nation since amalgamation. For many people the idea of a roiling paradox has since entered the national imagination as a general password for unlocking the Nigerian predicament.

        Ten years after this landmark publication, Dele Giwa has been bombed out of existence about a year after on October 19th 1986. But in a strange twist of grueling irony, it was the turn of Kayode Soyinka, Dele Giwa’s golden boy and favourite newshound, to invite this columnist to ruminate on the circumstances of Nigeria on its thirty fifth anniversary commemoration. In the intervening decade, Soyinka, who only miraculously escaped being brutally dispatched like his boss, had transited from being an intrepid reporter to becoming the publisher of the respectable and influential magazine, Africa Today. That October, the nation’s reputation was in tatters having plumbed the depth of disrepute to become a pariah in the comity of nations. General Sani Abacha had bared his steely fangs and the entire nation lay cowering under the hammer of his brutal despotism. The mood of the nation darkened and there was a foul distemper about reminiscent of the goggled tyrant himself. Nobody ever believed that politically speaking, things could turn that foul and nasty.

       This time around, this writer fastened on the image of a giant toddler at thirty five trundling about the bare floor unable to get up and go. A toddler at thirty five is a genetic monstrosity; a victim of irreversible retardation and arrested development. It recalls the figure of, Aboliga, the man-child ,Ayi Kwei Armah’s haunting creation in The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.  The one-day wonder grew to manhood and full maturity the same day he was born only to perish that same day. Nothing grows or endures for long in the sultry tropics, certainly not people, nations and institutions,  and the equatorial torpor has claimed its own once again.

    That was thirty years ago after a presidential election that promised to unite and unify the nation produced a hapless civilian interloper and the most monstrous despot ever seen in the history of the nation. The caustic severity of the framing referent of an earth-hugging adolescent toddler was an accurate reflection of the national trauma as Nigeria cascaded over the cliff to the bottomless pit of self-eradication once again. If any substantial damage has been done to the national fabric, the nation has had the intervening three decades to heal and to repair the damage. First was the heroic struggle against military absolutism which has since entered the universal folklore of the struggle of a people for self-emancipation. The upheaval against military eruption which sent the soldiers back to the barracks can be regarded as the golden moment of Nigeria’s post-independence history.

       Unfortunately, and by universal consensus, the post-military civilian restoration has, in the main, been underwhelming in its performance, particularly in the areas of the economy, national cohesion and the scourge of corruption and mismanagement. To be sure, there have been a few bright spots at both the national and subnational levels such as the brilliant demilitarization programme of the Obasanjo regime  and the sterling performance at the state levels particularly in Lagos and in emerging stars such as Ekiti, Enugu, Abia and perhaps entrepreneurially driven Akwa Ibo. But all these are too few and far between to make a dent on the fortunes of the nation.

       So what is the verdict on Nigeria at sixty five as the nation marked a gloomy anniversary this past week? The answers came in torrents and they could not be gloomier than the mood of the nation itself. This time around and in a startling development which hints at a global revolution in the knowledge industry and a change in demographic reflecting the growing predominance of youth in the power equation, it was Nigerians themselves who supplied the answers. This time around, Nigerians did not need “specialists” to explain away the antics of “madmen”; neither do they need their celebrated intellectuals and writers to explain the plight of the nation. They dismissed the nation as akin to a sixty five year old retiree without any further hope of redemption or restitution; a nation with a great future firmly behind it.

        Fortunately, the timeline of a nation’s existence is completely different from the lifespan of a human organism. Unlike human life, the nation is an infinite continuum with an oceanic plenitude of time. Nation’s do not succumb to sudden death or peremptory cardiac seizure. Even where breakup is a definite possibility, the warning signals are almost elastic in their sheer permissiveness. This is why Nigeria still has a lot to play for. It is not over until it is over. But a lot still needs to be done to halt the drift to Golgotha. This is a great country. But like all violently heterogeneous entities it is taking quite some time to come together and the human toll, the collateral damages, have been quite prohibitive. The coming decade will be quite critical in our quest for that elusive and authentic national consensus.

  • Baba Lekki takes Independence Day yabis to new heights

    Baba Lekki takes Independence Day yabis to new heights

    To the modish and moodily confrontational Gbedegbeyo Television Station, an equal opportunity bastion of ethnic irredentism on the outskirts of the Ajisegiri Canal, as the aging but irrepressible contrarian, Lambert Alekuso, aka Baba Lekki, fielded questions on the state of the nation on the occasion of the sixty fifth independence anniversary. Like most die-hard Yoruba progressives of the old school, a pattern of wary engagement with the ruling party has emerged since the coming to power of the greatest political disruptor of the age: strategic silence when everything is going well and the government appears to be on top of its brief and intense commotion coupled with rearguard revanchist rhetoric about the need to revisit the amalgamation of the country when the nation is on edge. Baba Lekki seems to have mastered this double-edged brief beyond the call of normal duty.

    This morning, the mournful drizzle that commenced around midnight had resumed duty after a brief respite as vast pools of murky water gathered on the sidewalks with angry commuters cursing careless motorists as they drove through the rivulets splashing and splattering everything in sight with foul effluents. As a result of the faceoff between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery, the few stations still dispensing fuel were besieged by irate citizens screaming to get on the rowdy queues and off-duty miscreants heaving heavy-duty jerry cans. Public distemper was palpable and the atmosphere was pregnant with foul foreboding and imminent combustion.

      Inside the hall, Baba Lekki sat on a lone chair rocking precariously from side to side and eyeing everybody in the hall with sullen contempt. He was approached by one of the female hostesses to find out if he needed some water to cool down and he snarled at the lady with such severity that the poor soul back-heeled quickly to the control room. He was obviously still smarting from the hostile reception he got at the security gate earlier. The rickety jalopy bringing him was flagged to a full stop by security people including a most impertinent woman. He was asked to alight and submit himself to a security search. After a thorough frisking, he was asked to remove a massive amulet dangling ominously from his breast pocket. The old man declined on the ground that it was an item of dressing.

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    “If you are not a fool, will you ask Basorun Ogunmola to remove his isura or insurance?”the old man screamed at them. When the security people insisted, the he offered to go in naked whereupon he started removing his trousers. The lady fled just as their supervisor who had been monitoring from a control room jumped out.

      “Let baba go, just let him go, we don’t want any trouble”, he screamed at his subordinates as the old man sauntered away.

     The lead interviewer thought he should begin by humouring the old codger who was as recalcitrant and truculent as ever.

    “Baba, despite everything, we must give thanks. At least the nation has survived”, he opened with syrupy smiles.

     “I don’t understand that kind of survival. It is the survival of an ayorunbo”, the old man snorted with his malignant humour resurfacing. The audience was stunned into total silence.

    “Baba, what is an ayorunbo?” the second interviewer inquired.

        “He who has escaped from heaven”, the old man replied, deadpan.

         “Kai, kai dis Yariba baba na shege !” one man dressed in babanriga hollered from the back of the hall.

        “So baba, what is the state of the Nigerian state?” the lead interviewer demanded.

     “ The Nigerian state is in quite a state, which means the state is pregnant. But let me tell you this, we will not allow all the nonsense you are planning. No matter what happens the man there must spend his eight years, sam, sam. If anything happens, you can say goodbye to Nigeria”, the old man submitted.

     “Haba!”, the man in babanriga shouted.

    “You can haba till eternity. When you people were running the ruining the country and mismanaging everything, we didn’t disturb you, or did we?” the old man queried.

    “So, it is now turn by turn mismanagement, abi?” a well -dressed young man sitting in the front row demanded, his diction suggesting class and affluence.

     “Call it anything. Na you sabi dat one”, Baba Lekki retorted.

     “Dem Yoruba people don bring dem wuruwuru and magomago into dis matter again.” One chap with an eastern accent screamed.

    “Thunder fire your mother. If you say another word, I will send akalamagbo to seal your mouth. Where was your mother when I was carrying poun-poun in Agodi Prisons because of Azikiwe in the fifties?” the old man exploded. Pandemonium almost set in at this point. But things calmed down quickly.

    “Baba what is your view of the rumoured Jonathan entry to the presidential race?” the lead man asked as he cast furtive glances around.

      “Call no man lucky until good luck has followed him till the end. Goodluck is Sigidi who wants to test his luck by demanding for a bath. Nothing must stop a small child from climbing the hill of Langbodo, ” the old man scoffed with apocalyptic relish. It was at this point that some well-armed militants rushed in through the backdoor and sent everybody scampering for safety.

    •This column is proceeding on annual leave.