By S.A. Idowu
Ladies and gentlemen, gather round. Today, we
witness the clash of Pig A and Pig B, each claiming the moral high ground while
elbowing each other to gobble more from Nigeria’s shrinking economic pie.
Pig A, the capitalist pig in a suit, is none
other than Dangote Refinery. With promises of investing billions, becoming
Africa’s biggest single-train refinery, and saving Nigeria from fuel
importation, the refinery’s rhetoric is polished. But when the going gets
tough, this pig suspends naira-denominated petrol sales, blames crude supply
constraints, lays off Nigerian workers, and focuses on exports. A slick pig
indeed.
Pig B, the strike pig par excellence, is
PENGASSAN/NUPENG. Their playbook is predictable: “Shut off gas! Halt crude
supply! Picket! Boycott! Strike!” Their favourite weapon, industrial action,
tends to cause maximum disruption, with Nigerians bearing the brunt of their
theatrics. They claim to defend workers, but often, the pain inflicted feels
like collateral damage in a game of power and spectacle.
Who’s Gained More?
Both pigs are fattening themselves while
ordinary Nigerians scramble for scraps. Let’s tally the spoils:
Dangote Pig: Land, capital, foreign investors, export markets, and leverage to suspend naira sales when convenient. When things sour, it hides behind buzzwords like “reorganisation” and “efficiency.”
Union Pig: Holds the strike stick, disruptive powers, rhetorical thunder, and
moral cover. But when fuel supply is cut, who really suffers? Nigerians, while
the pig parades as the guardian of workers’ rights.
Neither side seems to care whether Nigeria
gains or loses. Both thrive in the chaos of stagnation and confusion.
“Dangote: ‘We invest!’ PENGASSAN: ‘We fight!’ Nigeria: ‘Where’s our petrol?’”
Real Stakes
Beneath the humour lies harsh reality. This standoff threatens fuel scarcity, power instability, and daily revenue losses. Analysts estimate Nigeria could lose ₦14.7 billion daily if the clash drags on. The House of Representatives has even stepped in, warning that the downstream oil and gas sector may destabilize if unresolved.
Meanwhile, PENGASSAN accuses Dangote of
sacking over 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with expatriates, while
Dangote accuses the unions of “economic sabotage” for cutting crude and gas
supply. In the end, Nigerians queue longer for fuel, pay higher prices, and
brace for yet another round of scarcity.
Two pigs, one trough. Same drama, new season.
Clash of the Pigs
On one side, we have Dangote Refinery, the
capitalist pig who promised to save us from fuel imports but is now suspending
naira sales, laying off Nigerians, and exporting happily. On the other side, PENGASSAN/NUPENG, the strike pig whose favourite hobby is shutting things down,
usually in ways that hurt Nigerians more than the “big men” they claim to
fight.
Both pigs have fed fat on Nigeria’s stagnant
economy, and now they are wrestling in the mud while the rest of us queue
endlessly for fuel and light candles in the dark. Dangote cries “economic
sabotage,” unions shout “workers’ rights,” but the only thing Nigerians hear is
“brace up for scarcity.”
This is not a fight for Nigerians. It is a tug
of war over who gets the bigger feeding trough. Meanwhile, the economy risks
losing billions daily, and ordinary people pay the price. Same old drama, just
new pigs.
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