The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has declared strong support for the Dangote Refinery, urging the Federal Government to protect the $20 billion investment from what it described as “union sabotage” and “subsidy cabal interests” threatening Nigeria’s economic stability.
Speaking at a peaceful solidarity rally held on Tuesday at Alausa, Ikeja, the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said the organisation’s decision to publicly back the refinery stemmed from a commitment to national economic recovery and social justice.
“Dangote Refinery is a money spinner. It is Nigeria’s goose that lays the golden egg. Yet this is the same refinery that the unions wish to strangulate. Nigerians must not be caught napping,” Akintola said.
He expressed concern over recent industrial actions by oil workers’ unions particularly PENGASSAN and NUPENG which reportedly disrupted refinery operations and reduced Nigeria’s oil output by about 600,000 barrels during the strike.
“The unions are hurting Nigerians. They are inflicting pain on the masses through strikes that increase the price of fuel and gas,” he stated.
Akintola alleged that elements within the unions, alongside the “subsidy cabal,” were behind attempts to destabilize the refinery, similar to what he described as “the fate that befell the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries.”
While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for removing fuel subsidy and introducing a 15% tariff on imported products, the MURIC leader urged the government to ensure the refinery’s protection as a signal of confidence to foreign and private investors.
“Any attack on Dangote Refinery is an attack on the Nigerian economy. The Federal Government must protect it like its own baby,” Akintola said.
The Islamic rights group also called on the National Assembly to review existing labour laws and enact new investor-friendly legislation that prevents trade unions from interfering in the operations of private refineries.
MURIC listed its key demands to include:
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100% crude allocation to Dangote Refinery;
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Total stoppage of petroleum importation;
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Supply of crude oil in naira to the refinery;
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Review of labour laws to protect investors;
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Ban on PENGASSAN and NUPENG from operating in private oil refineries;
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Full implementation of the 15% tariff on imported products; and
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End to the dumping of imported petroleum products in Nigeria.
Highlighting the economic gains from the refinery’s operation, Akintola noted that Dangote Refinery has begun exporting refined products to countries including the United States, Spain, France, South Korea, South Africa, Cameroon, and Angola, generating foreign currency and contributing to the strengthening of the naira.
He added that Nigeria’s inflation rate had dropped from 33.88% in October 2024 to 18.02% in September 2025, attributing the decline partly to the refinery’s impact on foreign exchange inflow.
“Crisis in the oil sector always hurts the poor. That is why we stand with Dangote Refinery for peace, progress, and economic recovery,” Akintola said.
