Ndume Tells Tinubu To Wield Executive Powers In Dangote Labour Crisis

Senator Ali Ndume has urged President Bola Tinubu to issue an executive order to end the face-off between the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, the Borno South lawmaker said the president should act decisively, even if it means exercising powers likened to dictatorship, to resolve the stalemate over the refinery’s alleged sack of 800 workers.

“The best thing is for the president to sign an executive order calling them off. He has the right to dissolve them. In this case, I don’t mind if he acts like a dictator because some situations require very drastic measures,” Ndume said.

PENGASSAN had at the weekend ordered its members nationwide to shut down operations, accusing Dangote Refinery of violating the Constitution, Nigeria’s labour laws, and international conventions by dismissing the workers for joining the union.

But Ndume criticised the union, claiming it was serving narrow interests rather than the public good. “I have long opposed so-called unionism that prioritises the benefits of a few individuals at the expense of the country,” he said.

The senator also used the interview to highlight corruption and what he described as the celebration of questionable wealth in Nigeria. According to him, public accountability has weakened compared to the past, when leaders were held to higher scrutiny.

“When we were growing up, political leaders were under scrutiny in the eyes of the people. People used to go to prison because they could not account for local taxes. But today, corruption has been legitimised, and people don’t think about it. They are even celebrated after being declared as criminals and jailed,” Ndume lamented.

The standoff between PENGASSAN and Dangote has paralysed operations at key oil and gas agencies, with government mediators still struggling to broker peace.