By Solomon Ogunwo
In an era saturated with the noise of paid propaganda and hollow promises, the clarity of truth often comes from those with their ears to the ground and their hands on the wheel of industry.
Barely a fortnight ago, when the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) raised a clarion call, they were not merely sounding an alarm; they were reading from a script whose tragic ending they had already foreseen.
They were the Nostradamuses of our time, gazing into the crystal ball of corporate intent and seeing a tomorrow many refused to believe.
The warning was unequivocal. NUPENG alerted the nation to the anti-union posture of Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s refinery empire, highlighting the fundamental denial of workers’ rights to freedom of association. With prophetic precision, they labelled the much-touted claim of delivering fuel at no logistics cost what it truly was: a ‘Greek Gift.’
They saw beyond the fanfare and the choreographed media salvos, understanding that this was not benevolence but a strategic gambit—a Trojan horse designed to secure a monopolistic stranglehold on the nation’s oil and gas sector, driven not by national interest, but by an insatiable quest for profit.
The backlash was swift and predictable. An army of commentators, armed with little more than talking points and a startling ignorance of the industry’s intricacies, rose in defence of the billionaire.
They christened him a ‘messiah,’ a saviour come to deliver Nigeria from the shackles of fuel queues. They mocked the union, questioning its motives, blind to the core principle at stake: the inalienable, fundamental right of every worker to collectively bargain for their dignity and their future.
But prophecy, when rooted in truth, has a way of vindicating itself with brutal speed.
The unfolding events of the past 48 hours have torn the veil of deception to shreds. First, the hammer fell on the very workers who built the refinery’s promise.
In a move of staggering injustice, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals sacked over 800 Nigerian workers labelled by the Management as ‘ total re-organisation’. Their offence? The audacity to seek solidarity, to exercise their legal right to join the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN).
This was not a business decision; it was a punitive purge. And as PENGASSAN revealed, the replacement plan was already in motion: over 2,000 Indian nationals, reportedly lacking valid immigration papers, flown in under the cover of darkness to replace a Nigerian workforce deemed too empowered for their own good. The victimization and intimidation NUPENG warned about are no longer allegations; they are verifiable, heartbreaking facts.
Then, the second shoe dropped, confirming the totality of the withdrawal of the ‘Greek Gift.’ This morning, news broke that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended the sale of petrol in Naira. The email to marketers, cold and clinical, cited the exhaustion of a “crude-for-naira allocation.” In simple terms, the short-lived grace period is over.
The promise of a stabilised market, the fanfare of a national solution, all withdrawn with the click of a ‘send’ button at 6:42 pm on a Friday. This move unsettles marketers, threatens fresh forex pressures, and leaves the Nigerian people holding the empty bag of a broken promise.
So, we ask: After all the propaganda, who can convince us that this is not a mega con job playing out in slow, painful motion before our very eyes?
The Nostradamuses of NUPENG have been vindicated. Their leadership, steeped in the understanding of this complex sector, saw tomorrow because they understand the patterns of today.
They know that a system built on the denial of workers’ rights is a system built on quicksand. They know that a gift that comes with strings attached to monopoly and exploitation is a gift that will be snatched away the moment it has served its purpose.
For the discerning Nigerians who stood with NUPENG, who saw through the smokescreen, we salute your clarity. For those who knew the truth but chose the comfort of a paycheck or the paralysis of gullibility, history—and a watching God—is your judge.
The Greek gift’s grace was indeed sweet, but as prophesied, it was over far too soon. The men who saw tomorrow have spoken. The question now is, will we finally learn to listen?
