The Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, has called for the protection of investments made by Mr Aliko Dangote, noting that his empire is crucial to Nigeria’s economic future.
Speaking on Monday at the opening of the 2025 Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Mr Shettima described Mr Dangote as an institution and a pillar of Nigeria’s economic development and urged Nigerians to respect and protect the plethora of his investments, which spans footprints in cements, sugar, seasonings, fertilisers, petrochemicals, and energy.
The VP’s plea comes following the recent pressure faced by the businessmen from oil workers under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over the alleged sack of about 800 unionised employees at Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The union embarked on a strike, which was later suspended following the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Mr Shettima stressed that the $20 billion refinery, with its 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity, was a national asset vital to Nigeria’s growth and global competitiveness, noting that the industrialist deserves collective support for choosing to invest heavily in Nigeria rather than abroad.
“Aliko Dangote, he’s not an individual, he’s an institution, and he’s a leading light in Nigeria’s economic parliament. And how we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us. If he had invested $10 billion in Microsoft, in Amazon, or in Google, he probably might be worth $70 to $80 billion by now.
“But he opted to invest in his country, and we owe it to future generations to jealously protect, promote, preserve, and protect the interests of this great Nigeria,” the former Governor of Borno State stated.
The Vice President also appealed to both labour unions and the organised private sector to show restraint and patriotism in resolving industrial disputes, warning that reckless actions could undermine national progress.
“I wish to call for caution, retrospection, and a deeper sense of patriotism from both labour and the organised private sector in defining and improving the relationship between labour and industry in the interest of maintaining our steadily improving economic fortunes. It’s not about holding the whole nation to ransom because of a minor labour dispute.
“Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN. Nigeria is greater than each and every one of us. I’m not coming to you as a partisan,” he added.