Students in Oyo March Peacefully to Back Dangote Refinery Amid Union Clash

Groups of young people from student bodies in south-west Nigeria have taken to the streets of Ibadan in a calm show of support for the Dangote Refinery, as it battles ongoing disputes with key players in the fuel industry.

The demonstration, held on Tuesday at the busy Iwo Road Roundabout near the close of the Ibadan-Lagos motorway in Oyo State, involved members of the National Association of Oduduwa Students, the Coalition of Yoruba Students, and the Yoruba Movement. They gathered to voice their backing through lively chants and a procession along main thoroughfares.

Carrying handmade signs with messages like “Don’t Kill Dangote Refinery”, “Stop Sabotaging Fuel in Nigeria”, “End PENGASSAN”, “End DAPPMAN”, “Dangote Refinery Is a National Asset”, and “Stop Sabotage”, the participants dressed in uniform tops printed with the plea “Don’t Kill Dangote Refinery”. Their aim is to spotlight what they see as a deliberate plot by powerful groups to hinder the smooth running of the facility, which stands as Nigeria’s largest industrial project and Africa’s biggest single-unit refinery.

Olalere Adetunji, who leads the National Association of Oduduwa Students, urged the national leadership and concerned officials to act swiftly. He said: “We are calling on the authorities to safeguard the refinery and make sure that moves by worker groups and fuel sellers do not block our country’s path to producing its own petrol without outside help.”

Officers from the police force and the Federal Road Safety Corps are keeping watch nearby to ensure the event stays orderly, as the march goes on without any reported issues.