By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA—The Federal Government on Monday unequivocally declared the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery a critical national asset that “must be supported at all costs to succeed,” underscoring its strategic importance to Nigeria’s economy.
The government’s position was forcefully stated by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the opening of the Nigerian Economic Summit 2025 in Abuja. He emphasized that the success of the $20 billion facility is paramount, positioning it as a test case for foreign investment.
“Aliko Dangote, he’s not an individual, he’s an institution, and he’s a leading light in Nigeria’s economic parliament,” Shettima said. “And how we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us.”
The Vice President noted that Dangote’s decision to invest such a colossal sum domestically, rather than in global tech giants, obligated the nation to protect the venture. “We owe it to future generations to jealously protect, promote, preserve, and protect the interests of this great Nigeria,” he asserted.
Vice President Shettima’s comments came just days after oil workers under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) temporarily suspended a nationwide industrial action aimed at the refinery over a labor dispute.
In a direct and strongly worded challenge to the union’s tactics, Shettima declared: “Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN.”
He cautioned against using industrial action as leverage, insisting that it was wrong to hold the entire nation “to ransom because of a minor labour dispute.”
The Vice President appealed for a “deeper sense of patriotism” from both organized labor and the private sector, urging them to define their relationship in a manner that maintains the country’s “steadily improving economic fortunes.” He stressed that the government’s goal is non-partisan, stating, “I’m not coming to you as a partisan.”
The government’s stance, which was also reinforced by Minister of Budget and National Planning Senator Bagudu, signals a firm commitment to ensuring the smooth operation of the refinery, a project viewed as vital for achieving national energy security and conserving foreign exchange.