A coalition of civil society and consumer advocacy groups has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the immediate arrest of leaders of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over alleged plans to sabotage the Nigerian economy through an impending industrial strike.
At a rally held at the National Assembly in Abuja, the convener of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON), Comrade Kennedy Tabuko, accused the groups of plotting to destabilize the country by disrupting fuel supply in protest against government reforms.
According to Tabuko, the proposed strike action allegedly being coordinated by DAPPMAN and backed by key unions is aimed at frustrating President Tinubu’s industrialization and energy reform agenda, particularly efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
The coalition, which includes the Nigerian Interfaith Forum (NIF), the National Coalition for Market Men and Women Association of Nigeria (NACOMWA), and the Petroleum Consumers Protection Alliance (PCPA), also emphasized the need to shield the Dangote Refinery from what they described as hypocritical attacks aimed at frustrating its full operation.
The coalition urged the federal government to act swiftly to prevent any disruption in the nation’s fuel supply chain, warning that any breakdown of law and order would be squarely blamed on the actors behind the strike threat.
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