Former Secretary of Transparency International (TI), Major General (retd) Isola Williams, has called on the management of Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to embrace dialogue and explore areas of compromise to resolve ongoing disputes in the oil and gas industry.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Newdawnngr.com, Williams stressed that both parties must find common ground in order to safeguard workers’ welfare and ensure stability in the sector, which he described as strategic to Nigeria’s development.
“Though Dangote may have its reasons, with the harsh, inhuman capitalist system we have in Nigeria, trade unions are important for the welfare and wellbeing of workers,” Williams said.
He questioned the company’s reported resistance to unionisation, asking: “What makes Dangote afraid of union workers? If he has reasons, he should sit down with the unions and let them agree on conditions for working together for the benefit of all.”
While acknowledging the role of unions in protecting workers, the retired general also urged labour leaders to demonstrate a willingness to compromise, noting that leadership in some unions has become self-serving.
“The union leaders are well-paid and comfortable, just like those in the Road Transport Workers Union. Therefore, they are also looking after themselves,” he observed.
Williams argued that in true welfare-oriented economies, trade unionists often command strong integrity something he believes is lacking in Nigeria’s labour movement. This weakness, he said, is one of the reasons why labour-oriented political parties have failed to win elections in Nigeria and across Africa.
