THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticized Vice President Kashim Shettima over his recent comments defending the Dangote Refinery amid its ongoing dispute with the Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
In a statement issued yesterday to mark the World Day for Decent Work, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the Vice President of prioritizing corporate interests over workers’ welfare.
“The serial violations of decent work ideals are a ticking time bomb,” Ajaero said. “We will not surrender the rights of Nigerian workers on the altar of profit. There are no sacred cows.”
Ajaero described Shettima’s remarks — referring to the Dangote Group as a “national asset” — as “a national tragedy” that implies some companies are above the law. He argued that such a stance undermines the rule of law and promotes “lawlessness and capitalist impunity.”
According to the NLC, the principles of the Decent Work Agenda— including fair wages, safe workplaces, and workers’ rights — are being systematically violated in Nigeria. The labour body warned that ignoring these standards threatens economic development and social stability.
PENGASSAN has accused the privately owned refinery of violating workers’ rights to unionize and has condemned what it described as government’s “greedy support” for the company at the expense of employees.
Ajaero warned that the government’s perceived alliance with powerful corporations could ignite public unrest.
“The government cannot side with the oppressor against the oppressed,” he said. “No company, no matter how big, is above the law.
The NLC also alleged that other firms, including contractors at the NLNG Train 7 project in Rivers State, have recently dismissed thousands of Nigerian workers and replaced them with foreign labor.
The group called for stronger enforcement of labor laws and an end to what it termed the “sacred cow syndrome,” demanding that all companies in Nigeria comply fully with industrial relations regulations.
“The State’s duty is to protect the weak and vulnerable, not to offer them as sacrificial lambs to powerful interests,” the NLC added.
The dispute between PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery has drawn national attention, with several stakeholders, including religious and community leaders, intervening to seek resolution.