The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticised Vice President Kashim Shettima for describing the Dangote Group as a “national asset”, saying the remark undermines the rule of law and workers’ rights in Nigeria.
In a statement marking World Decent Work Day, Joe Ajaero, NLC President, described Shettima’scomments as a “national tragedy”, warning that such statements could embolden corporate impunity and weaken labour protections in Africa’s largest economy.
Ajaero accused the Dangote Group of violating workers’ rights to freedom of association, including the right to join unions of their choice — rights guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution, the Labour Act, the Trade Union Act, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
“No company, no matter how big, ‘strategic’, or well-connected, can operate outside the law or be bigger than Nigeria,” he said.
“If the Dangote Refinery is to be granted rights and privileges above the law, then the government must be prepared for the storms such injustice will inevitably unleash. There can be no peace without justice.”
The labour leader defended the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), which recently embarked on a strike to protest the dismissal of about 800 refinery workers allegedly sacked for joining the union.
The industrial action, which began on 28 September, was suspended on 1 October after government mediation led to an agreement with the Dangote Group to reinstate the affected workers.
During his remarks at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Shettima had described PENGASSAN’s strike as an overreaction to a minor labour dispute, urging unions to show restraint and patriotism when engaging with the private sector.
He praised Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, as “a leading light in Nigeria’s economic parliament” whose investments should be “jealously protected and promoted.”
Ajaero, however, said such rhetoric sends a dangerous message that wealth and influence can override legal protections for workers.
“The serial violations of the ideals of decent work are a ticking time bomb. We will mobilise, we will organise, and we will fight back. There are no sacred cows,” he declared.
