By Sanni Onogu,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

Former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume has called for caution in the handling of the dissensions in the downstream sector of the petroleum sector.

The senator representing Borno South was reacting to the face-off between the management of Dangote Refinery, on one hand, and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), on the other.

NUPENG recently embarked on an industrial action, leading to the shutdown of depots.

This, the union said, arose from the alleged refusal of Dangote Refinery’s management to allow its truck drivers to join the union, as stipulated in the Trade Union Act. But DAPPMAN had accused the Dangote Refinery of a plot to stifle competition by selling its products at cheaper prices to international traders, compared to the amount it gives the same products to marketers in Nigeria.

The Department of State Services (DSS) had since resolved the dispute between Dangote Refinery management and the umbrella body of junior workers in the oil industry.

Reacting to the face-off in a statement yesterday in Abuja, Ndume expressed concern over what he called “a poisonous media narrative to paint Dangote in bad light in the eyes of Nigerians and the international community”.

The former Senate Leader recalled the genuine and deliberate efforts by previous administrations to encourage the oil industry operators to build and operate refineries.

He recalled that those who were granted licences only exploited such opportunities without making conscious efforts to build refineries.

Ndume said: “Before Dangote took the risk to build his refinery, previous administrations had granted licences to many Nigerians. What did they do with it? Some of them only cashed out on the incentives of crude oil allocation.

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“If my memory serves me right, licences were granted to 12 private operators as far back as 2002 to build refineries and reduce dependence on imported fuel.

“The second round of licensing was done in 2007 by the then Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) after revoking the first batch and granted nine new licences to private investors.

“Those parading themselves as fuel importers today didn’t seize the initiative to come together to build refineries.

“Again, during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, licences were granted to private investors to build modular refineries.

“How many of them actually scratched the surface? But they are ganging up to falsely accuse Dangote of monopolising the market.”

Ndume also decried the animosity against the Dangote Refinery, maintaining that the Federal Government, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, has been promoting deregulation of the oil industry and encouraging healthy competition.

“It is wrong to talk about monopoly in a deregulated industry. There are no deliberate bottlenecks against anyone, and no player has been accorded special concession to the detriment of others,” he said.

The former Senate Leader urged the regulatory agency in the industry, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, as well as the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to take more than a passing interest in the feud among the players.

He noted that such intervention would ensure that the nation avoided detrimental antics that could disrupt effective petroleum products distribution.

“I urge NUPENG, PENGASSAN, and all concerned stakeholders to engage in a constructive dialogue with Dangote rather than incite division and undue sensationalism in the media.

“Our common goal should be to balance labour rights with the imperatives of national development and not put ordinary citizens at the receiving end of a needless power tussle,” Ndume added.