Chief Sunny Onuesoke, Chairman and CEO of DAS Energy Services, has urged the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to redirect its criticism away from the Dangote Refinery and instead channel its energies into ensuring the rehabilitation and proper functioning of Nigeria’s long-neglected, government-owned refineries. Speaking at a recent Oil & Gas Workshop in Abuja, Onuesoke offered a pointed critique of the union’s industrial actions and highlighted the broader structural failures that continue to plague the domestic refining sector.
Context: What Triggered the Outcry
The call comes in response to escalating tensions between NUPENG and Dangote group management. NUPENG alleges that Dangote Refinery has prevented petroleum tanker drivers from joining the union in violation of the Trade Union Act. As a result, NUPENG initiated industrial action that disrupted operations at fuel depots across the country.
In reaction, Dangote has defended its practices, emphasizing that the company’s operations conform to laws and that union membership is voluntary. Onuesoke argues that such disputes detract from the much more pressing issue: Nigeria’s moribund state refineries.
Onuesoke’s Core Arguments
1. Refocus on Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna Refineries:
Onuesoke questioned why, despite multibillion-dollar investments, these State-owned facilities remain largely non-operational. He challenged NUPENG to hold stakeholders accountable for poor outcomes after large allocations for turnaround maintenance.
2. Impact on Investor Confidence:
He warned that continual confrontations with private sector actors like Dangote are undermining Nigeria’s efforts to attract local and foreign investment into oil, gas, and refinery infrastructure.
3. Historical Perspective & Privatization Resistance:
Onuesoke recalled NUPENG’s opposition in 2007 to the privatization of Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries, protests that some say delayed efforts to revive those assets. He emphasized that attacks on private investors today could jeopardize future public-private partnerships.
4. Union Behavior and National Interest:
While acknowledging the right of workers to unionize, Onuesoke stressed that the exercise of that right must align with national economic goals. He described what he perceives as unnecessary antagonism toward Dangote as “retrogressive agitation” that ignores the broader picture.
Broader Implications
Economic Loss & Operational Waste:
Despite billions being spent over years on the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, their output remains negligible or non-existent. This translates into ongoing dependence on imported refined fuels, large foreign currency outflows, and persistent shortages and price volatility.
Technological & Human Capital Underutilisation:
Onuesoke has maintained that Nigerian engineers and technicians—particularly those within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)—have the technical knowhow to revive these facilities, provided they are supplied with the necessary resources and political support.
Regulatory & Institutional Weaknesses:
Part of the problem highlighted is the weak enforcement of existing laws, lack of transparency in how funds for maintenance have been used, and political interference or inertia. All these contribute to refineries remaining idle. Onuesoke has called for clearer accountability and stronger leadership in this regard.
What Needs to Be Done
Based on Onuesoke’s interventions and recent reportage, several key steps emerge as necessary if Nigeria is to move beyond symbolic refinery repairs:
Immediate Review & Audit:
Conduct transparent audits of past spending on refineries to identify where funds were misapplied, projects stalled, or operations mismanaged.
Strengthen Regulatory Enforcement:
Guarantee that laws such as those governing the Trade Union Act, domestic crude supply obligations, and refinery standards are enforced without bias.
Empower Local Expertise:
Provide NNPCL engineers and technicians with tools, equipment, spare parts, and financial resources to execute repair and maintenance mandates, rather than outsourcing to foreign entities as a default.
Encourage Public-Private Partnerships (PPP):
Where fully private ownership is risky, structured PPPs can leverage private investment while maintaining oversight and transparency. Dangote’s success demonstrates what private capital can achieve, but it also shows that regulatory consistency is vital.
Unbiased Union-Stakeholder Dialogue:
Unions like NUPENG must be part of the conversation, but strike actions, finger-pointing, or targeting private companies may not resolve structural failures. Dialogue should aim at reform and collaboration, rather than division.
Onuesoke’s appeal to NUPENG is not just an admonition but a reminder that Nigeria’s refining sector requires hard choices and systemic reform, not face-offs. Restoring functionality to Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries is arguably more urgent than controversies around unions and private players. For Nigeria to reduce dependence on imports, stabilize fuel supply, and rebuild investor confidence, the priorities are clear: accountability, resource allocation, regulation, and leveraging of domestic technical capacity. When those components are aligned, private and public refineries alike can play effective, sustainable roles.
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