Tonye Cole, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has expressed deep concern over the potential return of fuel scarcity in Nigeria, warning that citizens are already under immense economic pressure.
Speaking during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Cole emphasized that another disruption in fuel supply would be devastating.
“Nigerians cannot afford another scarcity of fuel today,” he said.
“People are already facing extremely difficult conditions, and any further crisis will only deepen their suffering.”
Cole, a co-founder and former Group Executive Director of Sahara Group, praised the federal government for its swift intervention in the recent standoff between Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), describing it as essential to preventing nationwide hardship.
Addressing the issue of workers’ rights, Cole underscored the importance of labour unions in a democratic society.
“Unions are vital for ensuring a balance between employers, employees, and the government,” he stated.
“They give workers a voice, and the government must protect the people’s interests.”
When asked whether Dangote Refinery was handling the situation appropriately, Cole remarked that any signed agreement must be respected.
“If a company signs an agreement, integrity demands that it honours it. Otherwise, all parties should return to the table for renegotiation.”
Cole also cautioned against allowing Dangote Refinery or any single entity to dominate Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
“Monopoly is extremely dangerous and unacceptable,” he warned.
“Competition strengthens businesses and ultimately benefits consumers. The use of government machinery to eliminate competitors is damaging to the economy and unfair to citizens.”
Just two days after suspending its nationwide strike, NUPENG accused Dangote Refinery of failing to uphold its commitments under a recent agreement.
In a joint statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, the union signaled the possibility of another strike.
“We are placing our members on red alert for the resumption of the suspended strike,” the union said.
“We urge civil society and labour groups to stand in solidarity.”
NUPENG alleged that Dangote Refinery had instructed truck drivers to remove union stickers from their vehicles, despite an agreement reached at the Department of State Services (DSS) office affirming workers’ rights to unionise.
The union also urged the federal government to stop the misuse of security agencies in labour-related matters and insisted that the signed agreement must be implemented in full.
The strike was initially suspended after all parties including Dangote Group, NUPENG, NLC, TUC, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU guaranteed that Unionisation would begin immediately and conclude within two weeks, No employee would face repercussions for joining a union and The employer would not create or promote a parallel union.
