Tension In Ibadan As Students Back Dangote Refinery Against Oil Unions

Students under the banners of the National Association of Oduduwa Students (NAOS), the Coalition of Yoruba Students, and the Yoruba Movement on Tuesday held a peaceful demonstration in Ibadan, Oyo State, to express solidarity with the Dangote Refinery amid its ongoing conflict with oil unions.

According to Ireporter Online, the protesters gathered at Iwo Road Roundabout before marching along the Ibadan–Lagos Expressway, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards with inscriptions such as “Don’t Kill Dangote Refinery,” “#StopSabotagingFuelInNigeria,” and “#DangoteRefineryIsANationalAsset.”

Clad in shirts bearing the inscription “Don’t Kill Dangote Refinery,” the student groups emphasized that their rally aimed to draw government attention to safeguarding what they described as “Nigeria’s most significant industrial investment and Africa’s largest single-train refinery.”

The President of NAOS, Olalere Adetunji, while addressing journalists, appealed to President Bola Tinubu and relevant government agencies to step in swiftly to prevent labour and marketing groups from actions that could hinder the nation’s progress toward achieving fuel self-sufficiency.

Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps were deployed to maintain peace throughout the demonstration, which remained orderly.

The ongoing confrontation between the refinery and oil sector unions, including PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), continues to generate public debate, with student organizations now urging the government to mediate and protect national economic interests.