Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians to safeguard and respect the multibillion-dollar investment of Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, describing the Dangote Refinery as a national asset critical to the country’s economic future.
Speaking on Monday at the opening of the 2025 Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Shettima hailed Dangote as “an institution” and a pillar of Nigeria’s development, warning that the nation’s treatment of its foremost investor sends a message to the rest of the world.
His remarks come on the heels of last week’s strike by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over the alleged sack of about 800 unionised employees at the refinery. The industrial action was suspended following the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Shettima said the $20 billion, 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery—one of the largest in the world—was a vital component of Nigeria’s quest for energy security, job creation, and global competitiveness.
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“Aliko Dangote is not an individual; he’s an institution, and a leading light in Nigeria’s economic parliament,” Shettima said.
“How we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us. If he had invested $10 billion in Microsoft, in Amazon, or in Google, he probably might be worth $70 to $80 billion by now.
“But he opted to invest in his country, and we owe it to future generations to jealously protect, promote, preserve, and defend the interests of this great Nigeria.”
The vice president also urged labour unions and the organised private sector to exercise restraint and patriotism in resolving disputes, warning that reckless actions could jeopardise national progress.
“I wish to call for caution, retrospection, and a deeper sense of patriotism from both labour and the organised private sector in defining and improving the relationship between labour and industry,” he said.
“It’s not about holding the whole nation to ransom because of a minor labour dispute. Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN. Nigeria is greater than each and every one of us.”
