In a surprising show of solidarity, hundreds of students from across tertiary institutions in Oyo State took to the streets in Ibadan on Tuesday to express support for the Dangote Refinery, calling on the government to protect it from what they describe as attempts to undermine its operations.
The protest, organized by a coalition of student groups including the National Association of Oduduwa Students (NAOS), the Coalition of Yoruba Students and the Yoruba Movement, began at the Iwo Road Roundabout near the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway before marching through key arteries of the city.
Participants wore matching T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Don’t Kill Dangote Refinery” and carried placards reading “Dangote Refinery Is a National Asset” and “Stop Sabotaging Fuel in Nigeria.”
Speaking during the rally, Olalere Adetunji, president of NAOS, called on President Bola Tinubu, relevant federal agencies, and regulatory bodies to intervene decisively, stressing that any disruption to the refinery’s operations would hinder Nigeria’s path to fuel self-sufficiency.
“We want to appeal to the Federal Government to protect the refinery,” Adetunji said.
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The students portrayed the refinery as a strategic national asset and condemned what they termed “sabotage” by certain vested interests, including some oil marketers and union elements.
Security agencies, including police officers and officials from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), were visibly deployed along the procession route to ensure that the rally remained peaceful and public order was maintained.
Meanwhile, a former deputy governor of Oyo State, Iyiola Oladokun, urged the youth to exercise restraint and allow dialogue, warning against possible exploitation of protests by political interests.
This demonstration comes amid escalating tensions between the Dangote Refinery and unions and marketers over fuel imports, pricing, and allocation. Student groups, and other civil society actors, have increasingly voiced alarm that certain actions by labour bodies threaten to stifle the refinery’s intended role in securing domestic refining capacity.
In recent days, Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had urged respect for the Dangote investment, noting its potential importance to Nigeria’s economic future.
There has been no official statement from Dangote Group or from the federal government in response to the student rally as at the time of filing this report. Observers believe the protest may amplify pressure on both labour unions and government bodies to resolve their differences before wider disruption sets in.
