Strike: Dangote Refinery Lauds Tinubu, Ribadu, Ajayi, Others over Roles in Settling Dispute

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October 6, 2025
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*Describes PENGASSAN as anarchists, oligarchs, agents of darkness

*Some NMDPRA branch members accuse PENGASSAN leaders of dictatorial tendencies

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Dangote Refinery has praised President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, over their roles in ending what it described as the ‘disruptive’ activities of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Besides, the management of the refinery in a statement late yesterday characterised PENGASSAN as oligarchs who bluntly refused to accept valid court orders, pointing out that they displayed gross rascality and lawlessness.
The recent face-off between the facility and the union began when PENGASSAN accused the Dangote management of sacking about 800 workers, many of whom were either union members or had shown interest in joining the union.
But Dangote Industries Limited denied the accusations, insisting that the dismissals were part of a reorganisation aimed at improving efficiency and addressing internal sabotage and safety lapses. The union rejected that explanation and responded with a nationwide strike action.
“Dangote Refinery is grateful to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Bola Tinubu, for his intervention, through his ministers and senior officials, which resulted in the abatement of the disruptive actions of PENGASSAN against the refinery.
“ Amongst the officials of the Federal Republic who worked tirelessly to roll back the lawless directives of PENGASSAN and restore sanity and order to the energy subsector were Nigeria’s security chiefs, made up of, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Director General of the Department of State of Security, Mr. Adeola Tosin Ajayi and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Mohammed Mohammed.
“The other officials of the Federation who worked untiringly and determinedly into the wee hours of several nights to avert the declared disruption of Nigeria’s energy sector by anarchists and agents of darkness included the Honourable Minister of Labour & Employment, Dr. Mohammed Dingyadi, the Honourable Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu and the Honourable Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha. We remain very grateful to these officials for their patriotism and national service.
“To Nigerians of all walks of life, we owe you more than a debt of gratitude. Your support for our righteous cause was both humbling and overwhelming. We heard your supportive voices and words of encouragement literally in all the street corners and media channels of Nigeria and were energized and strengthened thereby.
“You gave us hope and reinforced our belief in the Nigerian nation and people as the backbone of our enterprise. Be assured that we would continue to work for and in your interest and persist in always protecting that interest against rent seekers, economic saboteurs and economic squatters,” Dangote stated.
The refinery thanked its loyal workers, who ensured that operations were not disrupted even for a second, maintaining that the strength of Dangote Group lies in its people and their unalloyed dedication and allegiance to its cause, mission and vision.
“You proved your allegiance to our cause these several days even in the face of the provocative and inciting comments of and directives from detractors and naysayers who do not wish us and indeed Nigeria well. Be assured that you are treasured and will continue to be handsomely rewarded and remunerated notwithstanding the hypocritical directives and pronouncements of the enemies of Nigeria’s progress and derailers of our economy,” the statement added.
In the same vein, the Dangote Group, argued that it is recognised as one of Nigeria’s model employers of labour and the largest private sector employer in the country as well as the largest contributor to Nigeria’s tax revenues.
The company said that its compensation framework is benchmarked against international standards and designed not only to reward performance but also to protect employee welfare, uphold dignity in labour and provide a safe and enabling workplace for its people.
Through continuous training, mentorship and professional development, the refinery said it creates visible pathways for growth, thereby empowering its employees to advance into leadership roles and to build long-term and fulfilling careers.
“One institution that we revere and must loudly acknowledge is the Nigerian judiciary. They stood up for the truth and proved themselves as the bastion of hope for all of us. It is unfortunate that the oligarchs publicly displayed their rascality and lawlessness by refusing to accept service of valid court orders that sought to restrain their destructive actions.
“ Regardless, the fact that the judiciary came to society’s rescue at our critical moment of need, notwithstanding the intimidation of the hypocritical and sabotaging oligarchs, stands the judicial institution out as a just arbiter,” it stressed.
Meanwhile, some aggrieved members of PENGASSAN in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) branch, have accused their National President, Festus Osifo of “undemocratic conduct and constitutional violations”.
Besides, in a petition addressed to the registrar of trade unions, ministry of labour and productivity, the members raised concern about the conduct of PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa.
They therefore urged the federal government to intervene regarding the issues raised about the leadership of PENGASSAN, explaining that despite their efforts, “numerous letters and correspondences” have been met with utter disregard and non-responsiveness.

“As a branch under the PENGASSAN structure, we have made several efforts to engage the national leadership constructively on matters affecting our members and the proper administration of our branch in line with the constitution of our union.

“The continuous actions and inactions of the national leadership amount to an abuse of office and a gross violation of the provisions of the PENGASSAN constitution, especially as it pertains to the rights of branches, democratic engagement, and internal dispute resolution.

“We are compelled to escalate this matter to your esteemed office, being the regulatory authority overseeing trade union administration in Nigeria, to intervene appropriately and safeguard the integrity of trade unionism, internal democracy, and due process within PENGASSAN,” the members stated.

The group had accused the PENGASSAN leaders of interfering in the electoral process of the NMDPRA chapter, rejecting the appointment of a caretaker committee for the chapter.

It stated that despite the calls for calm, the PENGASSAN leadership hastily inaugurated the caretaker committee, thereby creating divisions within the branch.

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Garlands for the Guardian of the Mines at 69

By Kehinde Bamigbetan

Today, 6 October 2025, the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr.Henry Dele Alake clocks 69. For many in Nigeria, the name conjures memories of his decades as a journalist and public communicator. These days, it represents a new hope for sustainable reform in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and Africa’s mining industry.

To understand the minister, you must know his father, Pa Michael Ojo Alake. He graduated in Philosophy from Fourah Bay College, then West Africa’s most prestigious university. He later founded and ran the Benevolent High School in Lagos, where indigenes of his home town Ikoro-Ekiti, as well as indigent students, attended free of charge. His sacrifice was not ignored. The Ikoro people gave him the title, Eleyinmi of Ikoro-Ekiti to appreciate his benevolence.

Between 1979 and 1983, Alake Senior was one of the trusted advisers of Governor Lateef Jakande on the formulation and implementation of the free education programme, a scheme which scrapped the classroom shift system and built over 500 new schools to accommodate the pupils in one single shift within four years.

Being an educationist, Alake Senior knew the impact of good schools in forming the character of a civilized, confident and progressive child. He put his son in the best schools of the times -Surulere Baptist Primary School, Surulere, Lagos; Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, Igbobi College, Yaba- and topped it with university education at the University of Lagos, where the minister studied Political Science and later earned a Master’s in Mass Communication. But his exposure was not only academic. His inter-campus, extra-curricular engagements brought him under the influence of Professor Wole Soyinka, further raising his social consciousness and commitment to public good.

This pedigree set a high standard in morality, elocution, and public service for the minister. He is still determined to surpass it. His father excelled in education, but he chose communications. As soon as he enrolled in the National Youth Service Corps and was deployed to Ogun State Radio, his hard work and creativity were noticed. The organization entrusted him with tasks of confirmed staffers. His work led to his engagement with Lagos State Radio and a quick elevation to Senior Sub-Editor—one of the fastest advancements in the organization’s history.

The Crusader

As columnist, news manager, and editor, Alake made crusading for good governance the raison d’être of his career. His choice of stories and writings was deliberately crafted to conscientize the readers in the fashion of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This required immense courage under military rule, and he was often the guest of the secret service. At such times, they would find him ready with his toilet bag. At one point, Concord Press of Nigeria, where he worked, was put under lock and key by the junta. But this didn’t deter the crusader, whose conviction that journalism must have social relevance made him even more determined to mobilise the people to resist bad governance. To Dele, the words of Frantz Fannon, that “ the future will have no pity for those men, who, possessing the exceptional privilege of being able to speak words of truth to their oppressors but have, instead, taken refuge in an attitude of passivity, of mute indifference, and sometimes, of cold complicity” was a call to be an agent of change.

The annulment of the June 12, 1993 election won freely by the publisher of Concord Press, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola thrust him into the epicentre of the struggle for the actualization of this historic exercise of popular sovereignty by the Nigerian people. In that titanic struggle, he met and worked alongside Senator Bola Tinubu, who had given up his plan to be president of the Third Republic Senate to facilitate Abiola’s emergence. A comradeship that endures to date was forged in the furnace of that struggle, in Nigeria and exile. Indeed, Tinubu’s plan to return to the Senate in 1998 was diverted to governorship by advisers such as Alake, who believed he had established the progressive profile and financial wizardry to execute Abiola’s manifesto, Farewell to Poverty, in Lagos State at a micro-level and later escalate to the national level. When Bola Tinubu became Governor of Lagos State in 1999, Alake became the Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, a position he held till 2007. In that capacity, he was instrumental in shaping the communications strategy and public image of the Tinubu administration in Lagos. Beyond Lagos, Alake’s involvement in national politics deepened. In December 2014, he was appointed Director of Media and Communication for the Buhari Campaign Organisation during the 2015 presidential election. Over the years, he cultivated a reputation as a strategist, tactician, and loyal political confidant of PresidentTinubu.

The Mining Reformer

Only a man like Alake, who has established the mental agility for cracking difficult tasks and a record of standing up to the status quo, could have been assigned the herculean task of cleaning the Augean stable of the solid minerals sector. The risks were real: weak institutions, vested interests in illicit mining, and security challenges—all posed serious headwinds. Without strong follow-through, even well-intended policies can stall. Since his appointment as the Minister of Solid Minerals Development in August 2023, he has led efforts to reform a sector long considered underutilized, fragmented, and rife with regulatory inefficiencies.

Alake hit the ground running by applying the agenda-setting theory of journalism. He developed the Seven-Point Agenda for international competitiveness and local industrialization of Nigeria’s mining sector through critical research and review of the literature and interviews with stakeholders. He identified the challenges such as insecurity caused by illegal miners and bandits, speculation in licence administration, violations of the Minerals and Mining Act 2007, corporate void caused by the winding down of the Nigerian Mining Corporation, low rates of royalties and administrative fees despite multi-million dollar technological investment and the failure to establish statutory and regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Rehabilitation Fund.. He was very passionate on reversing the export of raw minerals and ensuring that minerals were processed locally to provide jobs and attract higher prices in the international markets.

In 25 months, Alake put no one in doubt that a new sheriff is in charge in the solid minerals sector. He took many steps. He set up the Mining Marshals to combat illegal mining and banditry, revoked 3,974 titles for failure to pay annual service fee or refusal to mine after obtaining licences, established the private sector-oriented Nigerian Solid Minerals Company and the Environmental Rehabilitation Fund,increased rates of administrative fees and royalties, and revolutionised mining communications. To top it all, advocacy for value addition that he espoused for the first time at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh in January 2024, won the hearts of ministers of mining in Africa. To maintain the momentum across the continent, they formed the Africa Minerals Strategy Group and made him the pioneer chairman. A year after, at the 2025 Future Minerals Forum, they poured encomiums on Alake for branding the one-year old AMSG into a continental colossus!

The results of Alake’s reforms in the solid minerals sector form a major component of the achievements of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These include an increase in revenue of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office from N6billion in 2023 to N12.5 billion in 2024. It has reported N10 billion between January and April, this year. Similarly, for the first time, royalties collected by the Mines Inspectorate department of the Ministry peaked at N6.4 billion as at December, last year.

The advocacy for value addition has stimulated mineral processing and manufacturing projects such as Hasetins $400 million Rare Earth plant,$60 million ASBA lithium processing plant, $200 million Canmax Lithium plant, $200 million New Energy Materials Company Lithium plant and new processing projects are in the pipeline. It has encouraged existing plants such as Segilola/Thor, Kursi, Africa Industries Group to scale up operations. The Ministry, through SMDF, its funding agency, is also planning to invest in the $1.3billiom alumina and $96.8million silica processing projects in collaboration with the Africa Finance Corporation.

The establishment of the Mining Marshals has led to the prosecution of over 300 suspected illegal miners by the Mining Marshals, dislodgement of illegal miners from 90 licenced areas and monitoring of 450 locations occupied by illegal miners. With more logistical resources, the enforcement of the mining laws will surely be intensified.

Transparency and accountability in licence administration have been achieved with the upgrade of the Electronic Mining Cadastre system, launch of mining decisions website and the improvement of content on the websites of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and the ministry. Today, research for and applications for licences can be initiated 24 hours every day from anywhere on the earth.

Alake has also intervened in human capacity development. His deal with the Australian government, negotiated during the Africa Down Under in September 2023 was executed this year with the training of the first batch of Nigerian geologists in modern exploration practices at the Murdoch university. Locally, over 250 youths have benefitted from workshops on gemology and jewellery making and the Institute of Geosciences continues to produce fresh mining professionals yearly.

What no serious witness of the solid minerals sector won’t contest is Alake’s sterling achievement in ensuring better compliance with the law. Operators are now more alert to their responsibilities and religious in observing deadlines and the rules of engagement.

With these records, Alake continues the family tradition by devotiny his life to the service of his fatherland. It is a daily grind of hardwork, creativity and persistence that may make him forget that another year has passed and today is his birthday. This article is a gentle reminder for him to take a day off and celebrate God’s grace. Happy birthday, sir!

*Kehinde Bamigbetan, former Commissioner for Information & Strategy in Lagos State, is the Special Adviser to Dr. Dele Alake, the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development

By Kehinde Bamigbetan Today, 6 October 2025, the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr.Henry Dele Alake clocks 69. For many in Nigeria, the name conjures memories of his decades

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NUPRC Releases 4-year Scorecard, Nigeria’s Rig Count Jumps 762% to 69

*Says 400 dormant oil fields identified, quick actions to follow

*N358.6bn remitted to host oil communities
*Sahara Group targets 350,000 barrels per day oil production, acquires seven rigs

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) yesterday published a list of 16 high impact achievements four years after its establishment, listing as one of its highpoints, the geometric rise in Nigeria’s rig count from a low of eight in 2021 to 69 as of October 2, 2025.
Rig count is a key indicator for assessing the health and future production potential of the industry, investor confidence, and the demand for oilfield services. A higher rig count generally signals increased oil and gas production activity. The NUPRC had in July announced that Nigeria’s rig count rose to 46.
In a statement issued yesterday by the commission’s spokesman, Eniola Akinkuotu, the NUPRC stated that it was a testament to the renewed vigour in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector.

It said the latest rig count of 69 which comprises 40 active rigs, eight on standby, five on warm stack, four on cold stack and 12 on the move, represents a 762.5 per cent increase in barely four years.
The Gbenga Komolafe-led commission noted that the number was expected to increase even further in the coming months, saying that this shows a renewed investor confidence in Nigeria.
The regulator stated that the success aligns with the charge of President Bola Tinubu that Nigeria was ready for business and that the right investment climate prevails now in Nigeria upstream as daily actioned by the NUPRC.

As part of its high impact achievements, the NUPRC said in 2022, 2023 and 2024, the commission surpassed its revenue target by 18.3 per cent, 14.65 per cent and 84.2 per cent, respectively, despite fluctuations in oil production and prices, thus contributing significantly to the nation’s economic growth.
It also cited potential investment of $39.98 billion from Field Development Plans (FDPs), noting that between 2024 and 2025 it has approved 79 FDPs, including 41 in 2024 and 38 year-to-date (YTD) 2025. This, it explained, comprises $20.55 billion in 2024 and $19.43 billion in YTD 2025.

It also mentioned increased crude oil production as part of the achievements in the last four years.
It added that since the inception of commission, crude oil production has increased with current average daily production of 1.65 million barrels of oil per day (Mbopd), and expected to increase further with the Project 1 Mbopd initiative which is aimed at achieving 2.5 Mbopd in 2027 compared to NUPRC commencement.

The commission equally mentioned its conduct of transparent bid rounds, saying “prior to the establishment of the commission, the licensing rounds were opaque and beclouded by political influence which made the process lack credibility. However, the NUPRC said with the support of President Bola Tinubu, it transformed the process to be fully digital thereby enhancing transparency and credibility.

“It was the most transparent bid round on record in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum history as it leveraged digital technology, devoid of any human interference, in a manner adjudged to be in line with global best practices which was even attested to by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).”
In line with the PIA 2021 and with the support of Tinubu, NUPRC said it was implementing the ‘Drill or Drop’ policy which prescribes that unexplored acreages are to be relinquished.

This is designed to ensure the optimal use of oil assets and prevent dormant fields from tying up potential reserves. The Commission said this policy successfully identified 400 dormant oil fields and has also propelled complacent oil companies to take quick action.
The commission also counted billions of dollars recorded in divestments by the international oil companies (IOCs) in 2024.
“From the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to Oando Energy Resources; Equinor to Chappal Energies; Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to Seplat Energies; and Shell Development Company Nigeria Limited to Renaissance Africa Energy. The divestment is about investor portfolio re-ordering to focus on deep-offshore development”, NUPRC said.

It also mentioned the regulations it developed in line with the PIA.
“To give meaning to the intent of the PIA, 2021, the commission in consultation with stakeholders has developed 24 forward-thinking regulations. So far 19 have been gazetted while five await gazetting. These forward-thinking regulations serve as tools for transparency and creation of enabling investment climate and benchmark best practices”, NUPRC stated.

The NUPRC said it completed awards of flare sites to successful bidders under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), adding that the programme was aimed at eliminating gas flaring and attracting at least $2.5 billion in investments.
Also, the NUPRC noted that the Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) have remitted N122.34 billion in naira, while dollar contributions stand at over $168.91 million as of October 2025. It said this translates to a combined remittance of over N358.67 billion based on the prevalent exchange rate in enthroning a conducive host community environment in Nigeria.

Still on host communities, the NUPRC said it was overseeing at least 536 projects at various stages of completion including schools, health centres, roads and vocational centres. It explained that these were being funded by the trust fund, adding that the achievement has tremendously curbed crude oil theft.
As part of its mandate to develop the country’s hydrocarbon, the commission said it has recorded 306 development wells drilled and completed between 2022 to date. The NUPRC said it issued Nigeria’s first Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) for a large offshore geophysical survey covering 56,000 km² of 3D seismic and gravity data.

Furthermore, the commission stated that it has reprocessed 17,000 line-kilometres of 2D seismic data and 28,000 square kilometres of 3D seismic data, producing sharper, higher-resolution images of our petroleum systems and reducing the uncertainties that once hindered exploration decisions.
On crude oil theft, it noted that in 2021 the average daily crude oil losses stood at 102,900 barrels per day or 37.6 million barrels per year.
“However, due to combined efforts of the General Security Forces and Private Security Contractors (TANTITA) as well as collaborative effort of the commission this has reduced by 90 per cent to specifically 9,600bpd in September 2025.

“Furthermore, two pioneer regulations introduced by the Commission have also contributed to the success, namely: The Upstream Measurement Regulation and the Advanced Cargo Declaration Regulation respectively, have contributed as pioneer efforts at achieving transparency in hydrocarbon accounting”, the NUPRC stated.
Even outside the shores of Nigeria, Komolafe-led NUPRC said it has continued to show leadership as it championed the establishment of the African Petroleum Regulators Forum (AFRIPERF).

According to the statement, the last event of the AFRIPERF at the Africa Oil Week (AOW) was attended by 16 African countries namely: Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Gambia Madagascar, Sudan, Guinea, Togo, Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Benin Republic, Kenya, Namibia, Morocco and Mauritania.
The commission explained that AFRIPERF provides regulators with the mechanism to harmonise oil and gas development policies to facilitate cross-border infrastructure development, benchmark fiscals and present a strong voice for Africa in hydrocarbon advocacy globally.

*Says 400 dormant oil fields identified, quick actions to follow *N358.6bn remitted to host oil communities*Sahara Group targets 350,000 barrels per day oil production, acquires seven rigs Emmanuel Addeh in

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Strike: Dangote Refinery Lauds Tinubu, Ribadu, Ajayi, Others over Roles in Settling Dispute

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