The Nigerian government has assured industries that it will continue to protect them as they do business in the country.
President Bola Tinubu disclosed this at the opening of the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Nigerian leader said the current administration will sustain industrial harmony in the interest of the nation.
Speaking with particular reference to the current impasse between the organised labour and a private company, Dangote Refinery, the President warned that no organisation or individual is greater than Nigeria.
Speaking at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit @officialNESG in Abuja, represented by VP Kashim Shettima, he cautioned that “no organisation or individual is greater than Nigeria.”#Tinubu #Shettima #NES31 #Nigeria #Dangote
— Voice of Nigeria (@voiceofnigeria) October 6, 2025
He said: “I am not coming to you as a partisan; I am coming to you as a patriot in search of solutions to our national challenges. I wish to reemphasise that in the interest of improving the fortunes, the government is hereby tasking the Nigerian Economic Summit Group with taking more than a passing interest in this matter.
“It is not about holding the whole nation to ransom because of a minor labour dispute. Nigeria is greater than the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN). Nigeria is greater than every one of us.
“The government will expect far-reaching recommendations from the NESG in addressing this issue, even as the government is also taking steps to protect ‘big’ industries and ensure industrial harmony for the good of the nation.”
The President, who noted the show of patriotism by the Chairman of Dangote Group (Aliko Dangote), also solicited more support for the business mogul.
“Aliko Dangote is not an individual; he is an institution, and he is the leading light in Nigeria’s economic firmament. How we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us. If he had invested $10 billion in Microsoft, Amazon or Google, probably he might be worth $70 or $80 billion by now.
“But he opted to invest in his country, and we owe it to future generations to jealously promote, preserve and protect the interest of this great Nigerian.
“This is a refinery that was financed through a combination of equity investments, debt finance and loans from both local and foreign banks. The refinery has to function to service the debts, and we cannot hold the whole nation to ransom because of issues that we can adequately settle across the table,” he said.
He therefore urged both labour unions and the organised private sector to show more sense of patriotism in dealing with the matter that concerns the Dangote refinery and resolve it amicably.
“I wish to call for caution, retrospection and a deeper sense of patriotism from both the labour and the organised private sector in defining and improving the relationship between labour and industries in maintaining our steadily improving economic fortunes,” he said.