Civil society organisations have demanded the immediate arrest of labour union leaders threatening to shut down oil and gas operations across the country, accusing them of inciting anarchy, defying court orders, and conspiring with petroleum marketers to sabotage Nigeria’s economy.
The call was made during a protest rally in Abuja on Tuesday, jointly organised by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON), the Nigerian Interfaith Forum (NIF), the National Coalition for Market Men, Women and Artisans (NACOMWA), and the Petroleum Consumers Protection Alliance (PCPA).
The rally, which moved from Unity Fountain to the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), was led by: Comrade Kennedy Tabuko, Spokesman, Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON); Rev. Dr. Mathew Ayodele, National Chairman, Nigerian Interfaith Forum (NIF); Comrade Ibrahim Suleiman, National President, National Coalition for Market Men, Women and Artisans (NACOMWA); and Barr. Yusuf Danladi, Chairman, Petroleum Consumers Protection Alliance (PCPA).
The groups accused the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), in collaboration with PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), of launching a coordinated campaign to destabilise the country by resisting the progress of indigenous refining, particularly the operations of the Dangote Refinery.
“This is not just a protest. This is a direct call by PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and TUC for anarchy, President Bola Tinubu should hold these people responsible if there is any breakdown of law and order in this country. They should be immediately arrested for disobedience to a valid court order.”the coalition stated
The protest came days after the Federal High Court barred PENGASSAN from stopping gas supply to Dangote Refinery. The coalition welcomed the ruling as a timely intervention against what it described as a deliberate attempt to cripple Nigeria’s long-awaited energy independence.
“The judiciary has spoken clearly: no union or cartel has the right to hold 200 million Nigerians hostage in pursuit of selfish interests,” said Danladi. “The strike threats are not for workers—they are for cartels. Nigerians must resist this economic terrorism.”
The groups called on security agencies to move swiftly and enforce the court order, warning that any union that undermines the rule of law must be held accountable.
They further alleged that the agenda behind the strike threats is to preserve decades-old profiteering from fuel importation, at the expense of national development.
“For years, DAPPMAN has fed fat on a broken system,” said Tabuko. “Now that a local solution has emerged through the Dangote Refinery, they are panicking. Their fear is not policy—it’s competition, transparency, and efficiency.”
The civil society organisations also pledged to intensify advocacy and legal action, both nationally and internationally, to ensure that the monopoly of fuel importation is broken. They vowed to drag DAPPMAN before a court of law for what they called “deliberate economic sabotage”.
While commending President Tinubu’s commitment to industrialisation and energy reform, the coalition warned the government not to capitulate to pressure from petroleum cartels and their labour allies.
“Any attempt to bend to DAPPMAN’s blackmail will be resisted by Nigerians,The nation belongs to its people—not to saboteurs, not to profiteers.”the statement read.
The coalition concluded with a warning that if the strike proceeds, they will respond through lawful mass actions, judicial intervention, and international exposure of what they termed a “fuel cartel conspiracy against the Nigerian people.”
