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FERA Hit Hard at PENGASSAN Over Fraudulent Claims Against Dangote Refinery
…as independent investigation exonerates Dangote Refinery
The Fair Employment Rights Activists (FERA) has blasted the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over what it described as “fraudulent, mischievous and hypocritical” claims against the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
PENGASSAN had accused the refinery of terminating the jobs of more than 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with 2,000 undocumented Indians.
But in a statement on Saturday signed by its president, Comrade Ebikeme Adigio, FERA said its independent investigation found no evidence to support the union’s allegations.
“Our fact-finding mission revealed that expatriates at Dangote Refinery are fully documented, properly accredited and engaged for specialised roles,” Adigio said.
“There is no single proof that Nigerian workers were unlawfully replaced. On the contrary, the refinery has directly and indirectly created over one million jobs in less than a year. That is the truth PENGASSAN does not want Nigerians to hear.”
The activist group went further, accusing some union leaders of lacking both the moral and legal right to challenge the operations of an investment that, according to FERA, is delivering where the union failed.
“Osifo and Okugbawa represent the same structure that supervised the waste of over $4 billion on failed Turn Around Maintenance projects at Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries,” Adigio declared.
“For decades, these men and their colleagues stood by while our refineries rotted away, workers were retrenched, and Nigeria bled under subsidy fraud. Now they rise to play saints? It is the height of hypocrisy. As Fela once sang, animals want to teach us human rights.”
The group also alleged that some of union leaders personally benefited from the subsidy era and patronage appointments.
“We all know that Festus Osifo’s children and cronies were comfortably placed in the NNPCL under Mele Kyari’s reign, feeding fat from subsidy fraud, while young Nigerians were forced into menial jobs in Ghana and Togo. Today, the same people want to lecture a refinery that is creating jobs and dismantling their corrupt pipeline of patronage,” Adigio declared.
FERA argued that the real motive behind PENGASSAN’s attacks was to blackmail the Dangote Refinery and protect vested interests.
“What PENGASSAN failed to tell Nigerians is that their agitation is not about the welfare of workers but about losing control over a sector that they had weaponised for decades. Dangote Refinery is not bound to adopt the union’s corrupt style of business-as-usual, and that is what is making them restless,” the group stated.
“They are not fighting for workers. They are fighting for a corrupt system that Dangote Refinery has disrupted. The union collects 3% of every oil worker’s salary in Nigeria, yet has not built one functional refinery, not even a small modular plant. If they truly cared about employment, why not buy the moribund Port Harcourt refinery and prove they can manage it?”
On the contrary, FERA said Dangote Refinery has proven its commitment to workers and to Nigeria’s economy. It cited the rollout of 8,000 compressed natural gas buses, which it said instantly generated 16,000 jobs in a single day, as well as its broader impact across supply chains.
“The Dangote Refinery should be celebrated, not vilified. It is fighting for the poor, ensuring we are no longer held hostage by subsidy cartels, and creating jobs at a scale Nigeria has never witnessed. PENGASSAN’s lies will not erase these facts,” Adigio said.
The group also rejected the union’s threat to cut gas and crude supply to the refinery, describing it as “nothing short of economic sabotage.”
“It is reckless for a union that squandered decades of goodwill to now threaten to strangle a national asset. This is not unionism; it is sabotage. Nigerians will not allow PENGASSAN to destroy what they never built,” the statement added.
FERA urged government and regulators to resist PENGASSAN’s “blackmail and lies” and protect the refinery from vested interests.
“The truth is simple: PENGASSAN is angry because the party is over. Thanks to President Bola Tinubu, that corrupt regime has ended,” the statement added.
“If PENGASSAN is genuinely concerned about workers’ welfare, let them buy up the moribund Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt refineries, make them work, and employ as many Nigerians as they want. Until then, they should stop blackmailing an investor who is doing what government and unions failed to do for decades.”
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Kwara: Security Team Kills Two Bandits, Rescues Two Kidnap Victims
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A security team, comprising operatives of DSS and forest guards, has rescued two victims of abduction in a forest between Oba Isin/Owa Onire area of isin and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The rescued victims are 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and Ibrahim Azeez who is five-year old.
The team also eliminated two armed bandits, while others escaped with severe injuries as the security forces stormed their hideouts, according to a report by DSS and local authorities.
The security team also recovered several items from the kidnappers, including one Ak-47 rifle; one single barrel; one fully loaded magazine with nine empty; mini-solar panel; and food items.
The rescue operation is connected to the multi-agency counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping efforts of the government.
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Kwara: Police Launch Investigations Into Killing Of Farmer On Farmland
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into the killing of a farmer, Mr Azeez Garba, whose body was discovered on his farmland along the Owa-Onire axis, the boundary between Isanlu-Isin and Owu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the State.
The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, described the murder as “cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to intensify efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased left home for his farm in the morning but did not return, prompting his family members and local vigilantes to organise a search.
The search party reportedly found his motorcycle parked on the farmland before discovering his lifeless body a short distance away. Police said the victim had sustained deep machete cuts.
Reacting to the incident, CP Adekimi ordered investigators to deploy all available intelligence and investigative resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“The killing is cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” the commissioner of Police said, assuring residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Although no suspect had been arrested as of Monday, the command said all available leads were being diligently pursued.
The police also assured the bereaved family, the people of Isin Local Government Area and the general public that investigators were working tirelessly to track down everyone connected with the crime.
“The Kwara State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and will not relent until every person responsible for this reprehensible act is brought before the law,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
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Kwara: Joint Security Team Arrests Alleged Cultist, Recovers Firearm
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A coordinated security operation involving the Kwara State Police Command, other security agencies and the Kwara State Polytechnic Security Unit has led to the arrest of a suspected cultist, Agboola Olamilekan, with a locally fabricated pistol recovered from him in Ilorin.
The operation, carried out as part of ongoing efforts to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state, was described by the police as another breakthrough in intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling criminal networks and reducing the circulation of illegal firearms.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, said the suspect was apprehended during the joint operation while in possession of the firearm.
According to the statement, the operation is part of the Command’s sustained strategy to disrupt cult-related activities and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate within the state.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.
“Every successful operation represents another step towards dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety across the state through proactive and intelligence-led policing,” the commissioner said.
The police disclosed that investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected members of the criminal network linked to the suspect.
The Command added that it remains committed to advancing the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, through intelligence-led policing, strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders and sustained operations aimed at ensuring that those responsible for threatening the peace and security of Kwara State are brought to justice.
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