The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has made a direct appeal to the Federal Government to prioritise the sale of crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in naira.
The Union appealed during a tour to the Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Limited, by the Chairman of the NLC, Lagos State chapter, Comrade Funmi Sessi, on Tuesday.
It argued that forcing the company to import crude or purchase locally in dollars undermines the promise of lower fuel prices for ordinary Nigerians.
“This country has crude oil in abundance. So why is Dangote still being made to import crude or pay for it in hard currency?” the NLC queried. “If the government is truly committed to reducing fuel prices and supporting local refining, it must sell crude oil to Dangote in naira.”
The union stressed that sourcing crude locally in local currency would significantly lower operational costs and, by extension, lead to a more sustainable reduction in fuel prices.
“With a daily capacity of 650,000 barrels, this refinery can serve Nigeria and even the West African sub-region. We have also seen big ships taking fertilisers to other countries. The government must maximise”
NLC hailed the Refinery as a transformative national asset, calling it a vital step in bridging Nigeria’s fuel supply gap, boosting employment, and restoring public confidence in the country’s industrial capacity.
Sessi praised the massive scale and strategic significance of the Dangote Group’s investments, stating that the projects are delivering tangible benefits to the Nigerian people.
“Today, we have seen the massive Dangote Refinery project, as well as the fertiliser plant. We have also observed some of Dangote’s other investments in this axis. It is truly enormous and highly impressive,” said the NLC chairperson. “I believe what we have seen is a clear effort to bridge the gap in the availability of essential products in the country and to create job opportunities for Nigerians and others, as well as industrialise the country.”
The union acknowledged that following FG’s removal of petrol subsidies, Nigerians experienced an unprecedented surge in the cost of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol; however, it added that the entrance of Dangote Refinery into the market helped to stabilise prices.
