The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the federal government to prioritise crude oil supply to local refineries and protect private investors in the petroleum sector from sabotage.
The students’ body urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and relevant agencies to openly commit to supplying crude to indigenous refineries, including those owned by Dangote and BUA.
Speaking during a rally in Abuja on Wednesday, NANS national president, Olushola Oladoja, warned that selling crude to foreign refineries at cheaper rates than those offered locally would cripple domestic production and stifle Nigeria’s industrial growth.
Oladoja said, “There must be an immediate end to selling crude oil to foreign refineries at cheaper rates than those offered to local refineries.
“Local industries must be incentivised, not strangled.”
NANS also demanded a policy shift away from petroleum product importation, insisting that Nigeria’s refining capacity can now meet and surpass national demand.
The NANS president urged the government to enact policies that safeguard private investments and uphold constitutional freedoms, particularly freedom of association.
The students’ body condemned what it described as the ongoing harassment of private investors, including Dangote Industries, by trade unions in the country.
He added, “NANS demands an end to the continuous harassment of private investors like Dangote. The right to operate peacefully and productively must be preserved.”
He accused powerful interests — including oil importers, international oil companies, and global trading firms — of conspiring to frustrate the operations of private refineries through regulatory pressure, union coercion, and policy sabotage.
Oladoja described the attempt by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to compel Dangote Refinery workers to join the union as unconstitutional and a violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association.
“Private refinery workers have every right to choose their form of representation or to remain un-unionised. Imposing union membership is a calculated attempt to frustrate private investment,” he added
The students warned that they would mobilise nationwide demonstrations if such actions continued.
“Today’s warning action is a statement of intent. If sabotage continues, NANS will mobilise millions of students to occupy federal highways across all 36 states and the FCT,” Oladoja said
He likened the current situation to the deliberate sabotage that led to the collapse of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, cautioning that allowing a repeat would destroy one of the country’s greatest industrial milestones.
Oladoja insisted that the success of the Dangote Refinery would foster healthy competition and end monopolistic control in the sector.
“Nigeria must discourage the importation of petroleum products, even from friendly nations, to protect our economy and jobs,” he said.
NANS vowed to defend the country’s economic interests and ensure that the petroleum industry drives national development rather than being undermined by vested interests.
(The Nation)
