PANEP Holds Mega Citizens’ Rally Against Nigerian Oil Cartel in Asaba, Urges Tinubu to Protect Dangote Refinery 

A Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, under the aegis of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), on Thursday staged a rally in Asaba with the theme: “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People”.

The tally, which was targeted at ending economic sabotage in Nigeria, saving the Dangote Refinery, and strengthening the campaign for local oil refining in Nigeria, was sequel to the Abuja Independence Rally of October 2, 2025 and the Kaduna Rally of October 6, 2025 on the same subject. 

Addressing the rally, one of the Conveners and Chairman of PANEP, Comrade Danesi Momoh; said it was a powerful movement of the people to demand freedom from a heartless unpatriotic cartel that had held the country down, declaring that their reign was over.

Comrade Momoh said the sabotage in the oil sector had become evident, compelling the Nigerian people to rise to the very important and urgent occasion of national economic salvation by rooting out all manifestations of the Nigerian oil cartel, whether in the forms of PENGASSAN, NUPENG, DAPPMAN, PETROAN or Government Agencies.

“These people and their agents are public enemies, with PENGASSAN, which has shown the ugliest face as PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE! We therefore declare Festus Osifo a persona non grata in all the public spaces of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. There will no longer be any space for him and his cohorts to operate and no way for them to hide their monstrous faces.

“Let us make it clear to PENGASSAN that they do not have the monopoly of madness. They may have gotten away with their crimes of economic sabotage and terrorism, because the security agencies have not considered the option on putting them behind bars, but the next funny move by them or their allies will be met with the severest citizens’ counter mass action. No group is indeed bigger than this country.

“Though an act of gross economic sabotage and terrorism, we thank PENGASSAN for being frustrated enough to commit the crime they did some days ago, because it has awoken Nigerians to the reality of the subterranean and even open war against Dangote Refinery and the local refining project. 

“Citizens have therefore risen up in defence of not only Dangote Refinery but other investors in the oil sector and other areas. We are no longer asleep in the manner we were when public refineries and other sectors were killed. This sabotage will never succeed.

These people must leave the Dangote Refinery alone. The business space is wide. They should find their own spaces.

“Dangote Refinery has faced too many fights that nobody can pretend that there is no orchestrated attack on the business. When did it become a crime to invest and to do so patriotically? There are no longer spaces or opportunities for indifference and pretences. We have to take a side for the Nigerian economic prosperity, the sound economic logic in favour of this economic prosperity, and therefore, a firm stand against saboteurs”, he stated.

The PANEP Chairman maintained that the Asaba rally was a reinforcement of their stand that their would no longer be oxygen for saboteurs of form or manifestation, stressing that they could not let the gains of massive employment, huge revenue for government, crash of petroleum products prices to be threatened by anybody or group.

The Coalition thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support for local refining and urged him to continue to use instruments of government against sabotage and ensure constant crude supply to Dangote Refinery at a fair price and to the volume of the quota due to it.

“Once again, we invite Nigerians, particularly in this region to join this liberation movement strategically happening at the period of the celebration of the Nigerian 65th Independence. The oil sector independence struggle is on us, it is urgent and the most patriotic task of the moment. Welcome board!

“Gentlemen of the Press, we thank you for your patriotism in this task because the Nigerian media has done a great job in advancing this cause. Let us remain vigilant.

“Thank you. God bless Dangote Refinery. God bless Nigeria”, Comrade Momoh concluded.

Other Conveners are Comrade Igwe Ude-umanta, Comrade Olayinka Dada, Comrade Olamide Odumosu, Comrade Omaga E. Daniel, Comrade Jabir Maiturari, Comrade Solomon Adodo, Comrade Adeyeye Olugbenga, Comrade Jide Wolimoh and Comrade Fisayo Olubayo.