Dangote Challenges NUPENG to Explain Who and How $18 Billion Was Wasted on Nigeria’s Refineries
Dangote Challenges NUPENG to Explain Who and How $18 Billion Was Wasted on Nigeria’s Refineries
The ongoing dispute between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) escalated on Friday after Dangote challenged the union to reveal those responsible for the alleged $18 billion spent on government-owned refineries without producing any results.
In a statement, the company questioned why the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries remain inactive despite years of huge investments in turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation projects.
Dangote urges NUPENG to expose refinery funds scandal
Aliko Dangote had earlier noted that successive administrations poured billions of dollars into these facilities, yet none have returned to full operation.
Addressing allegations that Dangote restricts petroleum tanker drivers from unionising, the company recalled NUPENG’s role in opposing the 2007 privatisation of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, transactions in which Dangote was part of the acquiring consortium.
According to the firm, the union’s resistance contributed to the reversal of that sale, which could have revived the moribund plants.
Dangote further urged Nigerians to demand accountability for the massive funds reportedly wasted.
It claimed that when the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were privatised to a consortium in which Dangote was a member in 2007, the same NUPENG members were amongst the town criers against the privatisation.
The company queried: “To date, about $18bn has been wasted to rehabilitate the refineries without any success. Who are the people who spent all these humongous amounts without any result? Can NUPENG assist Nigerians to unravel this?
Responding to NUPENG’s accusation that the refinery is seeking to monopolise the petroleum sector through direct fuel distribution, Dangote insisted that its operations align with Nigeria’s deregulated market structure, overseen by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority
