Nigerian students under the aegis of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prioritise local refining and allocate 100 percent of the nation’s crude oil supply to the Dangote Refinery to enable full-scale production and self-sufficiency in fuel supply.
The students armed with various placards and banners, made the call during a peaceful protest on Wednesday in Nigeria from the Millennium park to the Unity Fountain, as security agents did not allow the protesters storm the National Assembly as earlier scheduled.
Addressing newsmen, President of NAPS, Comrade Eshiofune Oghayan described the Dangote Refinery as “a root that has given life to a decaying tree,” symbolising hope for Nigeria’s long-awaited industrial revival.
According to him, Dangote Refinery was a symbol of Africa’s industrial power and a cornerstone for Nigeria’s ambition to become the refining hub of the continent.
He said: “For decades, our nation lived under the shadow of dependency, we were exporters of crude and importers of survival. But today, we have found pride again in an African-built refinery, one that can restore Nigeria’s economic independence.”
Reaffirming their confidence in the Tinubu led administration, the students while praising the President’s investments in education and youth empowerment initiatives, noted that Tinubu “understands the suffering of the common man and the Nigerian student, that is why we believe he will listen to our appeal.
“The Nigerian government should please approve 100% crude oil allocation to Dangote refinery let us refine our destiny at home. When we feed this refinery fully, it will produce more barrel, flood the market supply, decrease the price of fuel and stabilize our economy.
“We are appealing to the federal government and relevant agencies to prioritize local refined products. Nigerians, we want you to be reassured, Dangote has come to help you and the people that are coming to sabotage this effort are feeding fat on our national failure.”
While commending Dangote for his bold investment in the energy sector, the students urged President Tinubu to take decisive action including the scrapping of anti-development elements within the oil and gas sector who they claim were frustrating national progress.
“For over 30 years, the nation’s refineries in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri were dead. These same groups did nothing. But now that one man has chosen to rebuild our dream, they have risen against him.”
The students called on their peers across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of technology to defend and promote homegrown innovation.
“The soul of a nation is not measured by the size of its GDP, but by the strength of its will. When the youth rise to defend productivity, the nation itself will stand tall.”
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
