BY CHRISTY ABOGHE
THE Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), under the banner of Mega Citizens Rally and Movement Against Sabotage and Economic Saboteurs in the Nigerian Petroleum Sector, has called on President Bola Tinubu to continue his support for local refining initiatives.
The leader of PANEP, Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, made the call while addressing journalists during a rally in Asaba.
Igwe said the group will ensure consistent crude oil supply to the Dangote Refinery at fair prices ,emphasizing, that the success of such projects was crucial for job creation, government revenue, and the stabilization of petroleum product prices.
The group also demanded decisive action against what it described as “heartless cartels” sabotaging Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
According to him, the rally with the theme “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” had also taken place in Abuja and Kaduna on October 6, aimed at defending local oil refining and protecting the Dangote Refinery from what organizers called “economic conspiracies.”
Addressing participants, other conveners of the rally, Olamide Odumosu, Danesi Momoh, Olayinka Dada, Omaga Daniel, Jabir Maiturari, Solomon Adodo, Adeyeye Olugbenga, Jide Wolimoh, and Fisayo Olubayo said Nigerians must unite to end decades of exploitation and sabotage in the oil sector.
According to the statement jointly issued by the conveners, the movement seeks to “free the nation from a heartless and unpatriotic cartel that has held Nigeria’s economy hostage for decades”. PANEP accused several industry unions and associations, including PENGASSAN, NUPENG, DAPPMAN, PETROAN, and certain government agencies, of frustrating efforts to promote local refining and economic independence. The group particularly condemned the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), labeling it “Public Enemy Number One” and declaring its President, Festus Osifo, a persona non grata in all 774 local government areas across the country.
“These people and their agents are public enemies,” the statement read. “PENGASSAN has shown the ugliest face of sabotage, and their reign is over. The Nigerian people will no longer sit idly by while our economic future is destroyed.”
PANEP alleged that recent actions by PENGASSAN amounted to “economic sabotage and terrorism,” particularly efforts to frustrate operations at the Dangote Refinery, a project it described as a symbol of national pride and economic self-reliance.
“We thank PENGASSAN for being frustrated enough to commit the crime they did some days ago,” the group added. “It has awoken Nigerians to the reality of the orchestrated war against Dangote Refinery and other local refining projects”.
