The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Lagos State chapter, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise selling crude oil to the Dangote Refinery in Naira.
Lagos NLC Chairperson, Funmi Sesi, made the appeal during a Tuesday tour of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Ltd. by Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN) members and NLC officials.
Sesi said compelling the refinery to import crude or buy locally in dollars undermined the promise of reduced fuel prices for Nigerians.
“This country has crude oil in abundance. Why is Dangote still importing crude or paying in hard currency for locally produced crude?” she asked.
“If the government truly wants to lower fuel prices and support local refining, it must sell crude oil to Dangote in Naira,” she added.
According to her, sourcing crude locally in local currency would significantly reduce operational costs and lead to a sustainable drop in fuel prices.
The union leader praised Dangote Ltd. for creating a transformative national asset that helps bridge Nigeria’s fuel supply gap, creates jobs, and boosts industrial capacity.
She said the scale and strategic importance of Dangote Group’s investments were already delivering measurable benefits to Nigerians.
“Today, we have seen the refinery, the fertiliser plant, and other investments in this axis. The size and impact are enormous and impressive,” she said.
She described the projects as clear efforts to improve essential product availability, create jobs, and advance Nigeria’s industrialisation.
Following the removal of petrol subsidies, Nigerians faced a sharp rise in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) costs. She said Dangote’s refinery entry helped stabilise prices.
Sesi noted that Dangote’s operations had significantly lowered PMS and other refined product prices, demonstrating private sector leadership in the industry.
“With a 650,000-barrel daily capacity, this refinery can serve Nigeria and West Africa. We also saw large vessels exporting fertilisers to other countries,” she said.
She praised Aliko Dangote for building a fully operational, world-class refinery that meets domestic and regional refined petroleum needs.
Sesi also commended the production of Euro-5-compliant fuel with reduced sulphur content, aligning with global environmental standards and enhancing Nigeria’s market reputation.
“This is the pride we want — a Nigerian company producing at global standards, changing the narrative, and boosting our global standing,” she said.
She also lauded Dangote Fertiliser Company, which already exports to international markets, urging government support to improve food security and reduce imported agricultural inputs.
Dangote Industries Vice President, Oil and Gas, Devakumar Edwin, said the refinery was addressing Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined products.
He said it was setting a foundation for a sustainable, competitive refining industry that would benefit the national economy.
Edwin revealed plans to deploy 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks to distribute refined petroleum products nationwide.
He said the CNG trucks would ensure domestic refining benefits and lower fuel prices are fully passed to Nigerian consumers.
According to him, the CNG fleet would reduce logistics costs — a major contributor to pump prices.
“The deployment of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks will help pass down domestic refining benefits and lower product prices to consumers,” he said.
He clarified the aim was to improve distribution efficiency, not displace existing operators.
Edwin added that CNG trucks are environmentally friendlier and cheaper to run, helping to make refined products more affordable nationwide.
Let us unionise your workers – NLC tells Dangote Industries
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Chapter, has urged Dangote Industries Ltd. to let its employees join workers’ unions to ensure protection of their rights.
The Chairperson, NLC, Lagos State Chapter, Mrs Funmi Sesi, made the appeal during a tour of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Plant by members of Labour Writers Association of Nigeria and officials of NLC, Lagos State Chapter, on Tuesday.
Sesi said that unionisation would helped in organising workers and addressing their concerns, adding that it would help their employers to improve operations.
“On behalf of NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, we want to say: Dangote, please give us a chance to unionise your workers,” Sesi said.
She also urged the company to employ more indigenes of its host communities.
The labour leader said that labour law stipulated that 70 per cent of workforce should be from an organisation’s catchment area, and 30 per cent could be expatriates.
Responding, Mr Devakumar Edwin, the Vice President, Oil and Gas, Dangote Industries Ltd., said that the company was committed to training and employing members of its host communities.
Edwin said that the company had a well-established training centre at Obajana in Kogi.
He added that the company planned to establish another training centre in Lagos State.
He said that the Dangote Group had become a nurturing ground for Nigerian engineers, scientists and technicians, many of whom had gone on to work as expatriates in various countries.
Edwin assured the labour leader of the company’s commitment to human capital development, staff welfare and overall wellbeing of the economy.
“We have to ensure that the host communities are happy; otherwise, we will not be able to work.
“If someone is interested in his business, his first focus will be to ensure that the host communities are happy,” he said.
According to him, the company employed 22 per cent of its workforce from its host communities, 50 per cent from the state, and the rest from other parts.