The One Kano Agenda, a nonpartisan movement devoted to the unity, progress, and strategic transformation of Kano State and Nigeria, issues this statement to reaffirm its unwavering support for the Dangote Refinery, and to call for restraint, maturity, and national consciousness in all public and institutional engagements concerning this vital national project.
The Dangote Refinery is not merely a private venture, it is a national treasure, a towering symbol of Nigeria’s industrial ambition, economic sovereignty, and global credibility. Built with vision, courage, and patriotism, it stands today as the largest single train refinery in the world and represents one of the boldest private sector investments in African history. Its completion and operations are central to Nigeria’s long held aspiration of ending decades of dependence on imported petroleum products, strengthening the naira, reviving industries, and creating millions of jobs across every region of the country.
For the people of Kano and Nigerians at large, the Refinery embodies hope, hope for youth employment, for industrial revival, and for renewed confidence in the genius and potential of the Nigerian spirit. Its ripple effects through logistics, energy supply, transport, and allied industries are already transforming lives and unlocking new opportunities for growth. This project transcends region, religion, and politics. It is Nigeria’s project, and it must be protected as such.
The One Kano Agenda extends deep appreciation to His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and to the distinguished members of the National Assembly, for openly addressing the recent controversies surrounding the Dangote Refinery with courage, clarity, and statesmanship. Their timely interventions have reassured Nigerians that our national leadership recognizes the strategic importance of safeguarding projects that define our economic future and strengthen our self reliance.
When government talks about industrialization, Alhaji Aliko Dangote does not respond with speeches, he builds factories.
When the nation calls for food security, he builds fertilizer plants that feed the land and empower millions of farmers.
While others engage in endless debate, he takes action and delivers results.
His business philosophy is not driven by emotions, political alliances, or personal ambition. It is anchored on strategic alignment with Nigeria’s long term national priorities, industrial growth, economic diversification, and sustainable self reliance. Dangote’s vision exemplifies patriotism in motion, a disciplined, forward looking effort to build capacity where others see risk, and to invest where others retreat. His work gives tangible meaning to the recurring policy goals of successive governments, turning aspirations into achievements and promises into production.
We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give full presidential backing and institutional protection to the Dangote Refinery, not only as a private enterprise but as a strategic national asset. Supporting this refinery is equivalent to supporting Nigeria’s energy independence, job creation, and industrial rebirth. It is a litmus test for how seriously our nation values, investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The success or sabotage of this project will define the global perception of Nigeria’s readiness for genuine economic transformation.
It is in this context that we find the recent statements and posturing by NUPENG and PENGASSAN deeply troubling, ill-timed, and counterproductive. The refinery represents one of the largest employment generating projects in the country, and yet the unions appear to be acting in a manner that undermines its success and threatens the livelihoods of the very workers they claim to defend.
The One Kano Agenda strongly condemns the growing tone of hostility, misinformation, and veiled intimidation emanating from the leadership of these unions. Rather than aligning themselves with national progress, they appear to be waging a needless war against a symbol of industrial hope. Such recklessness, whether politically motivated or born of short term interests, serves neither the working class nor the Nigerian nation.
We remind NUPENG and PENGASSAN that their legitimacy rests not in obstruction but in constructive partnership with industry. Labour movements are meant to protect jobs, promote productivity, and advance workers’ welfare, not to sabotage private initiatives that create opportunities for thousands. To attack the Dangote Refinery is to attack Nigerian workers, to threaten investors’ confidence, and to jeopardize future employment prospects for generations yet unborn.
Nigeria must never again allow the spirit of envy, hostility, and political manipulation to suffocate industrial success. The refinery should be a rallying point for national pride, not a battlefield for vested interests. Every responsible institution including governmental, regulatory, or Labour must now act with a sense of duty and foresight, not emotion or politics.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote is more than an industrialist; he is a national institution, a living embodiment of Nigerian enterprise and resilience. He has invested where others doubted, created jobs where others failed, and built capacity where foreign dependence once prevailed. Such visionary leadership should be celebrated, not castigated; supported, not sabotaged.
The One Kano Agenda stands firmly and unapologetically with Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the vision of the Dangote Refinery. We call on all Nigerians citizens, policymakers, and opinion leaders to defend this project with unity, maturity, and patriotism.
Nigeria cannot afford to destroy its finest examples of excellence, innovation, and self reliance at a time when our nation most urgently needs production, confidence, and national cohesion.
Let every Nigerian of conscience remember: to weaken the Dangote Refinery is to weaken Nigeria itself.
Signed:
Amb. Abbas Abdullahi
Director General, One Kano Agenda