Kaduna, Nigeria — Thousands of demonstrators marched across Kaduna on Sunday under the banner of Partners for National Economic Progress (PANEP), accusing an alleged “oil cabal” of undermining Nigeria’s economic recovery by frustrating local refining efforts, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Converging at Murtala Mohammed Square, protesters sang solidarity songs and waved placards reading “Protect Local Refining,” “End Fuel Import Cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery.” The crowd snaked through Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way and Muhammadu Buhari Way, drawing onlookers and slowing traffic across central Kaduna.
PANEP leaders Igwe Ude-Umanta and Dahiru Maishanu said the Kaduna action formed part of a nationwide campaign that began in Abuja on 2 October to “expose and resist economic saboteurs” seeking to keep Nigeria reliant on fuel imports.
“This struggle is against the cartel that destroyed our public refineries, killed the textile industry, and now wants to strangle the Dangote Refinery,” Ude-Umanta told supporters. “We will not let them succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over.”
Evoking Kaduna’s industrial past, Ude-Umanta blamed “foreign interests aided by local collaborators” for the collapse of the once-vibrant textile hub and warned that similar forces were at play in the petroleum sector. PANEP’s rally, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” urged urgent federal action to shield private and public refineries from “systematic attacks.”
The group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who doubles as Minister of Petroleum Resources, to ensure domestic refineries receive crude at the same prices offered to foreign buyers to stabilize operations and bolster investor confidence. It also demanded an overhaul of fuel import policies—either an outright halt or steep tariffs—arguing that protective measures are standard tools to nurture local industry.
“How can importers compete with producers?” Maishanu asked. “They are scared because local refining will expose their fraud and end their control over pricing.” He further alleged that vested interests were obstructing sales of locally refined Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and aviation fuel (Jet A1) at lower prices, keeping costs “artificially high.”
PANEP praised the Dangote Refinery’s “early gains” in easing pump prices for petrol and diesel, saying Nigerians were already “breathing fresh air” from increased local supply. “If we allow them to kill Dangote Refinery, no investor will ever risk bringing money into this country again,” Maishanu warned. “We must protect this refinery as our own.”
The march concluded with renewed calls for the presidency to “crush every enemy of Nigeria’s economic progress,” as organizers vowed to sustain nationwide mobilization until policy changes are enacted. Authorities had yet to comment on the demonstration at press time, and the protest remained peaceful with no major incidents reported.
