By Stanley Onyeka, Lagos
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has expressed profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his timely intervention in averting what it described as “the disruptive actions of PENGASSAN” against the company.
The company, in a statement, said the President’s leadership, through his ministers and senior government officials, ensured the restoration of order and stability to the energy sector at a critical moment.
According to the company, among the key government officials who worked “tirelessly” to restore normalcy were Nigeria’s Security Chiefs, led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi; and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed.
The company also commended the efforts of other senior government officials who worked “untiringly and determinedly into the wee hours of several nights to avert the declared disruption of Nigeria’s energy sector by anarchists and agents of darkness.”
Among them were the Ministers of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Dingyadi; Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
“We remain very grateful to these officials for their patriotism and national service,” it added, while also thanking Nigerians for their overwhelming public support during the crisis.
“To Nigerians of all walks of life, we owe you more than a debt of gratitude. Your support for our righteous cause was both humbling and overwhelming.
“We heard your supportive voices and words of encouragement literally in all the street corners and media channels of Nigeria and were energised and strengthened thereby. You gave us hope and reinforced our belief in the Nigerian nation and people as the backbone of our enterprise.
“Be assured that we would continue to work for and in your interest and persist in always protecting that interest against rent seekers, economic saboteurs and economic squatters,” the company stated.
We would not relent in serving the Nigerian nation faithfully and diligently through the uninterrupted production of our petroleum products.
Uninterrupted operations
The Refinery also lauded its workers, saying: “To our loyal workers, who ensured that our operations were not disrupted even for a second, we thank and appreciate you.
“The strength of Dangote Group lies in our people and their unalloyed dedication and allegiance to our cause, mission and vision.
“You proved your allegiance to our cause these several days, even in the face of the provocative and inciting comments of and directives from detractors and naysayers who do not wish us and indeed Nigeria well.
“Be assured that you are treasured and will continue to be handsomely rewarded and remunerated notwithstanding the hypocritical directives and pronouncements of the enemies of Nigeria’s progress and derailers of our economy.”
Reaffirming its position as one of Nigeria’s foremost employers, the refinery said: “Perhaps, we should mention, at this point, that the Dangote Group, with due modesty, is recognised as one of Nigeria’s model employers of labour and the largest private sector employer in the country as well as the largest contributor to Nigeria’s tax revenues.
“Our compensation framework is benchmarked against international standards and designed not only to reward performance but also to protect employee welfare, uphold dignity in labour and provide a safe and enabling workplace for our people.
“Through continuous training, mentorship and professional development, we create visible pathways for growth, thereby empowering our employees to advance into leadership roles and to build long-term and fulfilling careers”.
Dangote Refinery also commended the Nigerian judiciary, saying: “One institution that we revere and must loudly acknowledge is the Nigerian judiciary. They stood up for the truth and proved themselves as the bastion of hope for all of us. It is unfortunate that the oligarchs publicly displayed their rascality and lawlessness by refusing to accept service of valid court orders that sort to restrain their destructive actions. Regardless, the fact that the judiciary came to society’s rescue at our critical moment of need, notwithstanding the intimidation of the hypocritical and sabotaging oligarchs, stands the judicial institution out as a just arbiter,” the company noted.
The Refinery reiterated its unwavering dedication to national service and industrial growth.
“We would not relent in serving the Nigerian nation faithfully and diligently through the uninterrupted production of our petroleum products. Our commitment to the Nigerian nation and our pact with its people remains undiluted, undiminished and unalterable notwithstanding the distractions from our detractors and the saboteurs in our midst,” concluded.
