The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has warned it will mobilise students nationwide to occupy federal highways if the sabotage of private refineries, especially the Dangote Refinery, persists.
This declaration came through statements during coordinated national warning protests held in Abuja, Asaba, and Lagos. NANS President, Comrade Olushola Oladoja, described the efforts to disrupt refinery operations as a “coordinated attempt by vested interests to frustrate Nigeria’s refining independence.”
Oladoja criticised union pressures, particularly from PENGASSAN, seeking to impose union membership on workers of private refineries, calling the act unconstitutional and detrimental to investment.
He argued that such demands clash with Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which protects the freedom of association. “This is coercion and a direct violation of Section 40 …,” he said.
NANS accused international oil companies, product importers, and local unions of colluding to keep Nigeria dependent on imported fuel by undermining domestic refining efforts.
They likened the situation to the collapse of the Nigerian textile industry, which they blamed on similar sabotage and lack of protective policies.
As part of their demands, NANS issued a five-point list to the government, including: priority crude allocation to local refineries; ending undervaluation of crude sent abroad; de-emphasising fuel importation; protecting private investments and workers’ rights; and stopping union harassment and industrial blackmail.
Oladoja cautioned that failure by authorities to act would prompt escalation into nationwide student protests. “We shall defend the survival of the Nigerian economy and the dignity of our nation,” he warned.
