At the opening session of the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit, which took place in Abuja on 6 October, Vice President Kashim Shettima declared that the Dangote Refinery must be supported at all costs. It is important to note that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has been supporting the entire Dangote empire, and not just the refinery, for decades. It is on record that acting through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and some of its subsidiaries, the FGN, has provided Dangote with substantial support, including tax incentives under the pioneer status incentive of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). This means that trillions of naira in taxpayers’ money have been invested in enterprises, such as Dangote’s, that subject workers in Nigeria who create the wealth that the handful of capitalists appropriate, to precarious working conditions.
The government’s commitment for Dangote to succeed as a billionaire capitalist cannot and must not be at the cost of the working people. Workers have the right to be members of independent unions. A trade union is owned first and foremost by the workers before as members. The reaction of Dangote Refinery to workers exercising their right to join PENGASSAN, an independent trade union, such as the sacking of 800 of them, is not unfamiliar. It is no accidental that trade unions do not exist in most of Dangote’s enterprise. That is a direct result of a clear pattern of union busting. Where you have an active union such as in Dangote pasta in Ikorodu, it was won only with bitter struggle by the workers, many of whom were brutally attacked by thugs loyal to Dangote.
Dangote is not greater than Nigeria
The Vice President further mentioned that Aliko Dangote is not an individual, but an institution, and a leading light in Nigeria’s economic parliament. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) empowers workers with the right to join or form a union of their choice. It must be stated clearly that Aliko Dangote is a private individual. Dangote and his enterprises are not bigger than Nigeria, the workers, or, any union, including PENGASSAN. The FGN is sending a signal to the business world with the incentives and number of violations of the constitutional rights of workers it is permitting Aliko Dangote. It is saying that Nigeria is open to all sorts of precarious conditions for workers and tax avoidance.
Any ‘outsider’ that engages in union busting or that will not respect the nation’s constitution and global standards should remain outside. It is well-known that multinational companies have reduced their presence in Nigeria in recent times, which is largely due to the country’s economic situation. The departure of these companies from Nigeria is not due to workers exercising their rights to join or form a Union; as a matter of fact, many of them benefit from union busting and the complicity of the government, as is again being demonstrated with Dangote’s enterprises.
It is important that we counter their attempt at gaslighting us into submission and defeat. Aliko Dangote, or any other billionaire boss, is not greater than Nigeria, and therefore their profit-chasing interest is not greater than the working people’s interest for a decent living. It is evident, with the VP’s position in calling Aliko Dangote’s private company a national asset, that they have their side, which has always been with the capitalists against us – the working people.
The Imperative for Unionisation
We must always remember that the right to freedom of association, like other fundamental rights granted by the Constitution, was not merely given. It was won and will have to be defended, with a struggle. It is thus fundamental that we fight to enforce the rights we have won. Workers in Dangote Refinery, as much as in Dangote Sinotruk and other Dangote enterprises, can and must be allowed to join unions without any fetter by the management.
Our strength lies in our unity and organisation; that much they are aware of and want to prevent. It is thus imperative for ensuring decent living and a better Nigeria that we organise and unite in our numbers. Joining a trade union is neither wrong nor criminal; preventing that is rather criminal. Workers in the factories, malls, and other non-unionised spaces must commence exercising their full rights, including the right to association. Similarly, trade unions must unite and collectively commit to defending hard-won gains such as freedom of association and the rights to organise and collective bargaining. The NLC and TUC must commence the process of collectively organising, including. Convening a joint NEC of both federations could be a powerful step forward in that direction.
by Lai BROWN
