The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticized Vice President Kashim Shettima over his comments on the ongoing industrial dispute between the Dangote Refinery and members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
In a statement issued on Tuesday to mark the World Day for Decent Work, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the Vice President of defending corporate interests at the expense of Nigerian workers.
Ajaero described Shettima’s reported comments portraying the Dangote Refinery as a “national asset” deserving protection as a “national tragedy” that undermines workers’ rights and the rule of law.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this deeply troubling statement by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, suggesting that the Dangote Group is a national asset that should be exempt from obeying labour laws,” Ajaero said. “This is an affront to the rule of law and a public declaration that capital, when sufficiently concentrated, is above the law. We insist there are no sacred cows.”
The NLC said the Vice President’s remarks amount to a government endorsement of impunity, warning that the move risks worsening labour relations and social unrest.
“We Will Mobilize and Resist Exploitation” — Ajaero
Ajaero reaffirmed that the labour movement remains committed to protecting Nigerian workers from exploitation by both the government and private employers.
“We will not surrender the rights of Nigerian workers on the altar of profit,” he said. “We will mobilize, we will organize, and we will fight back.”
The NLC leader said the current crisis between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery reflects a broader pattern of “serial violations” of the Decent Work Agenda, a global framework championed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that emphasizes job creation, fair income, workers’ rights, and social protection.
According to him, these principles are being “systematically undermined” by both government and private sector actors in Nigeria.
“Decent work is the foundation for national development,” Ajaero said. “Suppressing workers’ rights only perpetuates poverty and social unrest.”
“Dangote Refinery Is Becoming a National Tragedy” — NLC
The NLC accused the Dangote Group of violating workers’ rights to freedom of association and unionization rights enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, Labour Act, and core ILO conventions.
“This dangerous pronouncement serves to green-light the mindless and greedy actions of the Dangote Group, which has brazenly violated workers’ rights,” Ajaero stated. “To frame legitimate trade union activity as sabotage or a national threat is fascistic. Dangote is not a national asset, it is becoming a national tragedy.”
The labour body further warned that by allegedly siding with the refinery, the government risks eroding trust and promoting lawlessness in the industrial sector.
“When the state abandons its duty to protect citizens and sides with the oppressor, it is declaring war on its people,” Ajaero said. “The Constitution is clear, the welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
Labour Warns Against “Sacred Cows”
The NLC cautioned that allowing any company, no matter how powerful, to operate above the law could destabilize the country’s industrial environment.
“No company, no matter how big or strategic, can be bigger than Nigeria,” Ajaero warned. “If Dangote is granted privileges above the law, the government must be ready for the storms that such injustice will unleash. There can be no peace without justice.”
Ajaero also linked the refinery dispute to wider violations across other industrial sites, including the NLNG Train 7 project in Bonny, where contractors allegedly dismissed Nigerian workers and replaced them with foreign nationals.
“This is the danger of encouraging impunity,” he said. “Thousands of Nigerian jobs are being lost while the state looks away.”
Labour Demands Stronger Enforcement of Workers’ Rights
The NLC called on the federal government to strengthen labour enforcement institutions and ensure full compliance with industrial relations laws.
“We demand an end to the sacred cow syndrome,” Ajaero said. “The law must protect the weak and vulnerable worker from greedy capitalists, not offer them as sacrificial lambs.”
He urged authorities to create robust frameworks that guarantee decent working conditions and reduce violations across workplaces nationwide.
“The era of impunity must end,” the statement concluded.
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