HOW PROTESTERS SHUT DOWN KADUNA, ACCUSE OIL CABAL OF PLOTTING TO SABOTAGE DANGOTE REFINERY. (PHOTO).

 How Protesters Shut Down Kaduna, Accuse Oil Cabal Of Plotting To Sabotage Dangote Refinery

Thousands of protesters on Monday brought parts of Kaduna city to a standstill as they marched through major streets under the banner of the Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), accusing a powerful oil cabal of attempting to sabotage Nigeria’s economic recovery by frustrating local oil refining initiatives.

Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Protect Local Refining,” “End Fuel Import Cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery.”

They gathered at the Murtala Mohammed Square before proceeding through Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way, and Muhammadu Buhari Way, drawing large crowds of sympathizers and onlookers.

PANEP leaders, Igwe Ude-Umanta and Dahiru Maishanu, said the Kaduna rally was part of a nationwide movement to expose and resist “economic saboteurs” determined to keep Nigeria dependent on imported fuel.

“This struggle is against the cartel that destroyed our public refineries, crippled the textile industry, and now wants to strangle the Dangote Refinery,” Ude-Umanta told the cheering crowd. “We will not allow them to succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over.”

He explained that the movement, which began in Abuja on October 2, is part of a “national liberation effort” to rescue the economy from “heartless cartels feeding fat on national decay.”

Recalling Kaduna’s industrial heritage, Ude-Umanta lamented how the once-bustling textile industry collapsed due to sabotage by foreign interests aided by local collaborators. “Kaduna was a textile hub before it was destroyed. Now, they want to do the same to our petroleum sector. We will resist them,” he said.

The protest, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” called for urgent government intervention to protect the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery from what they described as systematic attacks by oil importation cartels.

PANEP urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who also serves as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure that local refineries receive crude oil at the same price sold to foreign buyers. 

“That is key to sustaining the refinery and boosting investor confidence,” the group said.

The protesters demanded an end to indiscriminate fuel importation and called on the government to either stop it completely or impose heavy tariffs to protect local industries. “Countries that impose tariffs are not foolish—they are protecting their economies,” Ude-Umanta stated.

In his remarks, Maishanu accused the cartel of maintaining a monopoly over fuel importation. “They are afraid of competition because local refining will expose their fraud and end their control over pricing,” he said.

He further alleged that the cartel has been blocking the sale of locally refined Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (Jet A1) at lower prices, thereby keeping costs artificially high. “They are punishing Nigerians to protect their greed,” he added.

The protesters commended the Dangote Refinery for its early success in reducing the prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), saying Nigerians are already benefitting from local refining.

“This movement is about economic salvation,” Maishanu declared. “If we allow them to destroy Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever bring money into this country again. We must protect this refinery as our own.”

The rally ended with a strong appeal to President Tinubu to “crush every enemy of Nigeria’s economic progress.”