🌿 Talented but Rotten By Femi Oyewale

Lord, help me not to rely only on talent but to cultivate a heart that pleases You. Purify my motives, prune my character, and let my life bear fruit that glorifies You.

Petroleum Workers Commend Dangote Over Respect for Workers’ Rights, Warn NUPENG Against Derailing Economic Progress

The Petroleum Workers Advancement Initiative (PEWAI), a coalition advocating for the welfare of oil and gas workers and the stability of Nigeria’s economy, has commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the management of Dangote Refinery for respecting workers’ rights and safeguarding national economic growth following the suspension of a planned strike by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

In a statement on Wednesday signed by its president, Comrade Ebikeme Okorotie, PEWAI hailed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on September 8 between Dangote Refinery, NUPENG, and other stakeholders as a decisive step in strengthening industrial harmony and advancing economic development.

The MoU, also signed by Sayyu Dantata, managing director of the Dangote Group, Ogbugo Ukoha, executive director of distribution systems, storage, and retailing infrastructure at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Benson Upah, acting general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Nuhu Toro, general secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), effectively shelved the strike that was scheduled to commence on September 8, 2025.

The agreement allows workers at both Dangote Refinery and its petrochemical operations to unionise freely and guarantees that no employee will be victimised for exercising this right. The process of unionisation is expected to commence immediately and conclude within two weeks, from September 9 to 22, 2025.

PEWAI described the resolution as a laudable demonstration of responsible leadership by Dangote, noting that the refinery’s willingness to uphold workers’ constitutional rights signals a commitment to both employee welfare and the broader economic stability of the country.

“Dangote’s management has shown that it is possible to respect workers’ rights while simultaneously promoting economic growth,” Comrade Okorotie said.

“By engaging in dialogue, negotiating in good faith, and ensuring that no worker will be victimised, the Dangote Group has set a benchmark for industrial relations in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.”

The group also emphasised the national importance of the refinery, noting that any disruption in its operations could have significant repercussions on fuel supply, job security, and economic progress.

PEWAI warned NUPENG and other unions to exercise prudence in pursuing industrial action, stressing that Nigerians will be watching closely and will not allow any union to derail the ongoing progress in the economy being driven by Dangote’s refinery operations.

“While we acknowledge the right of workers to unionise, this must be balanced with the wider responsibility to the nation,” Okorotie added.

“The refinery represents billions of naira in investment, thousands of jobs, and critical infrastructure. Any action that threatens its operations is an action that threatens all Nigerians.”

PEWAI also urged other corporate players in the petroleum sector to emulate Dangote’s approach by combining respect for workers’ rights with responsible economic stewardship.

According to the group, fostering industrial harmony is not only a legal and ethical obligation but also a catalyst for sustained growth and development.

The coalition commended the roles of the NLC, TUC, and other stakeholders in facilitating the MoU, describing their involvement as critical to averting potential disruption and maintaining confidence in the petroleum sector.

“Industrial disputes are inevitable in any dynamic economy, but the way they are resolved defines the health of the nation’s labour relations and economic trajectory. Dangote’s leadership, combined with the willingness of the union to engage in dialogue, has prevented a crisis and ensured that progress continues,” PEWAI said.

The group further reiterated its call for all unions in the oil and gas sector to act responsibly, warning that while worker rights must be respected, they should not be pursued at the expense of citizens’ economic welfare or national development.

“Dangote has shown that business leadership and national interest can coexist. We expect all stakeholders to maintain this path and for unions to exercise their rights with wisdom and patriotism,” Okorotie said.

Bandits Video: Dauda Lawal Gets 7 Days Ultimatum to Disclose Locations of Killers, Other Criminals in Zamfara

The Coalition of Citizens Against Banditry and Insecurity in Nigeria (CABIN) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, demanding that he disclose the locations of bandits and other criminal gangs operating across the state.

The group warned that failure to act within the deadline would trigger mass protests and pressure on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara.

In a statement on Wednesday signed by its president, Comrade Solomon Charles Abutu, CABIN said the governor’s recent comments acknowledging knowledge of the bandits’ whereabouts amounted to an admission that he had chosen to tolerate, rather than combat, the criminal networks responsible for thousands of deaths, kidnappings, and the displacement of communities.

“Governor Dauda Lawal has confirmed in his own words that he knows where the killers, kidnappers and bloodthirsty bandits reside. By that singular admission, he owes Nigerians a moral and constitutional duty to immediately hand over these criminals to the relevant security agencies,” CABIN said.

“Anything short of this within seven days will amount to complicity, and will attract massive protests across Zamfara, Abuja and other parts of the country. In that event, we shall also demand that the Federal Government declare a state of emergency in Zamfara for the safety of its citizens.”

The organisation, which describes itself as a national coalition of civic advocates, security analysts and community leaders, expressed outrage that the governor has continued to receive billions of naira in monthly security votes but has yet to deliver results in securing the state.

CABIN argued that the governor’s public lamentation of helplessness, despite vast resources at his disposal, is a betrayal of the hopes of millions of Zamfara citizens who voted for him in 2023.

“Every month, Governor Dauda Lawal receives billions in security votes ostensibly to equip operations, motivate security agents and support civilian intelligence. Yet what Zamfara has seen instead is worsening insecurity and a governor who has openly confessed he cannot do anything to end the crisis. That is not governance; that is abdication of responsibility,” the group said.

CABIN went further, claiming that bandits were not only embedded in rural forests and urban hideouts, but also within the corridors of power.

“We have it on good authority that bandits also live with Governor Lawal in Government House. They wine and dine with politicians, receive protection from compromised officials, and have infiltrated the system. The governor must turn them over to the law enforcement agencies without delay. Nigeria cannot continue to bleed while those elected to protect us provide cover for our killers,” the statement read.

The group noted that Zamfara has become the epicentre of Nigeria’s banditry crisis, with repeated abductions of schoolchildren, farmers, and traders, alongside attacks on security operatives. CABIN said the situation has reached intolerable levels and accused the governor of “weaponising lamentation” rather than providing solutions.

“Governance is not lamentation. Leadership is not about saying ‘I cannot do it’. It is about deploying courage, political will, and resources to confront insecurity head-on. If Governor Lawal has run out of ideas, let him resign honourably instead of normalising excuses,” CABIN declared.

The coalition also urged President Bola Tinubu to personally monitor developments in Zamfara and hold Governor Lawal accountable, warning that further tolerance of what it described as “gross dereliction of duty” could embolden criminal networks elsewhere in the country.

“Zamfara has for too long been Nigeria’s bleeding ground. If the governor continues to shield criminals by inaction, then the President must act decisively in the interest of national security,” CABIN said.

The group vowed to mobilise residents, civil society organisations and student unions for a wave of protests at Government House Gusau and the National Assembly in Abuja should the ultimatum lapse without action.

“We are prepared to raise the alarm at every level of society because the lives of Zamfara’s people matter. We will not watch idly while indifference and complicity reign. Governor Lawal has seven days to prove his loyalty to the Nigerian people, or face the full weight of civic resistance,” the group declared.