Calls for strict enforcement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s #NigeriaFirst Policy has gained momentum as the Yoruba Council Worldwide (YCW) and the Nigeria Coalition Group (NCG) urged the President to take decisive steps to safeguard the Dangote Refinery against what they described as “a coordinated campaign of economic sabotage” by entrenched oil interests.
The groups, which held a Grand National Solidarity Rally at the Lagos State House of Assembly complex, Alausa, Ikeja, said the ongoing face-off between Dangote Refinery and key oil unions — PENGASSAN, NUPENG, IPMAN, and DAPPMAN — represents a defining test of Tinubu’s resolve to prioritise local industries over foreign-linked import cartels.
They also called on Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Speaker Mudashiru Obasa to deliver their letter of demands directly to the President and facilitate a meeting aimed at resolving the crisis and strengthening the national energy framework.
According to the groups, President Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent import duty tariff on petroleum products marked a bold departure from decades of import dependency and a strong affirmation of the #NigeriaFirst principle.
They, however, expressed worry over what they called “sustained resistance and blackmail” by oil unions and marketers lobbying for an extension of the tariff implementation to 2026.
“The President’s decision to impose import duties on petroleum products was a historic step towards reclaiming our economic sovereignty,” YCW President Aare Oladotun Hassan, Esq., said in the statement. “But these cartels are working round the clock to frustrate it. The time to enforce the #NigeriaFirst Policy is now.”
The YCW and NCG said allowing such extensions would defeat the essence of the Renewed Hope Agenda, undermine local refineries, and entrench the influence of foreign-linked importers in Nigeria’s oil economy.
The groups called for the allocation of 100 per cent crude oil supply to the Dangote Refinery, insisting that the 650,000 barrels per day (BPD) facility has the capacity to meet Nigeria’s entire demand even at half utilisation.
They urged the Federal Government to go further by banning all fuel importation and revoking existing import licences issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), in line with Section 317 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“Every litre of petrol or diesel imported into Nigeria today is a symbol of policy failure,” the statement noted. “The #NigeriaFirst Policy must mean total reliance on local refining, and Dangote Refinery is the most credible foundation for that transformation.”
The YCW and NCG accused the leadership of PENGASSAN, NUPENG, IPMAN, and DAPPMAN of colluding with oil cabals and regulatory officials to destabilise Dangote Refinery and perpetuate the import regime.
They described the alleged directive by PENGASSAN to suspend crude and gas supplies to the refinery as “an act of economic terrorism” that cost the nation an estimated ₦30 billion, deepening scarcity and fuelling speculation in the downstream market.
The coalition called on President Tinubu to order a comprehensive forensic audit into the finances and activities of oil unions, multinationals, and regulatory bodies to expose sabotage, collusion, and manipulation of national energy policy.
The groups urged the Tinubu administration to strengthen its protectionist policies by raising import tariffs on petroleum products from the current 15 per cent to as high as 200 per cent, or by implementing a total import ban, in line with global best practices.
Drawing parallels with U.S. economic policy under former President Donald Trump, they argued that “no nation achieves industrial self-reliance without shielding its domestic producers from foreign dominance.”
To guarantee steady supply, they proposed a Crude Exploration Nationalisation Policy Synergy Scheme, which would ensure that domestic refineries, including Dangote, receive a guaranteed flow of crude oil through structured partnerships with oil well owners.
The groups praised Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his “resilient patriotism” and recent ₦2 trillion investment in procuring 10,000 tanker trucks to strengthen nationwide petroleum distribution.
They described the refinery — the world’s largest single-train facility — as “the beating heart of Tinubu’s industrial vision” and “the single most powerful symbol of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
“Dangote Refinery has survived 22 sabotage attempts,” Hassan disclosed. “Yet it remains standing — a metaphor for the Nigerian spirit. If supported fully, it can bring the pump price of petrol down to ₦200 per litre and finally end decades of fuel scarcity.”
The YCW and NCG urged President Tinubu to “seize this moment of truth” to assert his economic doctrine and protect national investments from what they called “a vicious network of profiteers hiding behind labour activism.”
“The #NigeriaFirst Policy must not remain a slogan,” they said. “It must become the compass for every economic decision — from crude allocation to import regulation.”
They also called on Governor Sanwo-Olu and Speaker Obasa to stand as moral vanguards in ensuring Lagos, as the host of Dangote Refinery, takes the lead in advancing the country’s industrial sovereignty.
Yesterday’s rally — themed “Nigeria First, Not Foreign Cartels” — drew wide participation from civil society networks including the Nigeria Youth Coalition (NYC), Coalition of Southern Groups (CSG), and National Youth Stakeholders Forum (NYSF).
Participants carried banners reading “Fuel Our Future, Not Foreign Interests,” “Protect Dangote, Empower Nigeria,” and “Tinubu’s Policy, Nigeria’s Pride.”
In his closing remarks, Hassan described the movement as “a patriotic defence of Nigeria’s future,” urging the President to resist pressure from vested interests and stay the course.
“If the #NigeriaFirst Policy must mean anything, it must begin with energy,” he declared. “Once we power our economy from within, no foreign cartel can hold Nigeria hostage again.”