The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sharply criticized Vice President Kashim Shettima following his recent remarks supporting the Dangote Refinery amid its ongoing labor dispute with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
In a forceful statement released on Tuesday, coinciding with the World Day for Decent Work, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the Vice President of aligning with corporate interests at the expense of Nigerian workers. He warned that the government’s stance represents a grave national misstep that risks escalating social tensions across the country.
“We vehemently reject Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assertion that the Dangote Group is a ‘national asset’ and thus should be exempt from adhering to Nigeria’s labor laws,” Ajaero declared.
“Such a position not only undermines the rule of law but signals a dangerous precedent where concentrated wealth places itself above legal accountability-implying that financial power can override fundamental labor rights.”
The NLC leader further condemned the government for fostering a culture of impunity by shielding large corporations while neglecting the struggles of everyday Nigerian employees.
“By endorsing this disregard for legal frameworks, the government is eroding respect for our institutions and empowering those who flout the law, thereby holding our nation hostage,” Ajaero stated.
“This abdication of responsibility to safeguard the rights of Nigerian workers and vulnerable populations amounts to a declaration of hostility against the citizenry.”
Ajaero emphasized that the NLC will vigorously oppose any efforts to diminish workers’ rights under the guise of protecting so-called national assets.
“We refuse to sacrifice the rights of Nigerian laborers on the altar of corporate profit. We will organize, mobilize, and resist. No entity is beyond accountability,” he affirmed.
The NLC accused the Dangote Group of flagrantly violating workers’ rights to freely associate and join unions, labeling the refinery’s labor conduct as a “national calamity.”
“This reckless endorsement effectively sanctions the Dangote Group’s blatant infringement on workers’ freedom of association and their right to unionize,” Ajaero explained.
“Far from being a national treasure, Dangote’s actions represent a national disgrace.”
The labor organization also connected these alleged abuses to a wider trend of impunity within Nigeria’s industrial sector, referencing recent mass dismissals at the NLNG Train 7 project in Bonny, Rivers State.
“Currently, contractors at the NLNG Train 7 site appear to be emulating Dangote’s tactics by terminating thousands of local workers and replacing them with foreign laborers,” the NLC noted. “Their ‘offense’ was demanding lawful remittance of taxes paid to the government.”
Ajaero warned that no corporation, regardless of its influence or connections, should be permitted to operate beyond the reach of Nigerian law.
“No business, however large or strategically important, is above the law or greater than Nigeria itself,” he asserted. “If the Dangote Refinery is granted special privileges that contravene legal standards, the government must brace for the inevitable unrest such injustice will provoke. True peace is unattainable without justice.”
The NLC reiterated calls for more robust enforcement of labor regulations and urged the government to abandon what it termed the “sacred cow syndrome.”
“The government must act decisively to prove that the law applies equally to all. Its role is to defend vulnerable workers from exploitation, not to sacrifice them to the interests of wealthy capitalists,” Ajaero urged.
“We demand the strengthening of labor institutions to ensure strict compliance with industrial relations laws. The era of nlc-strikes-dangote-over-exploitation/” title=”… Launches Nationwide Strike Against Dangote Group, Declares War Over "Plantations of Exploitation”>unchecked impunity must come to an end.”
Finally, Ajaero called on Nigerian workers to stand united in protecting their rights, warning that the NLC will not hesitate to mobilize against any form of worker exploitation or suppression.
“The working class and the marginalized majority are the true architects of Nigeria’s prosperity, and we will not allow our rights to be bartered away,” he concluded.
