The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sharply criticised Vice President Kashim Shettima for describing the Dangote Group as a “national asset that should be preserved,” saying the statement amounts to state-sanctioned lawlessness and a betrayal of Nigerian workers.
NLC President Joe Ajaero, in a statement to mark the World Day for Decent Work, described Shettima’s comments as “a national tragedy” that signals the government’s willingness to side with the powerful elite at the expense of the working class.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this deeply troubling statement by the Vice President insinuating that the Dangote Group should be exempt from obeying the nation’s labour laws,” Ajaero said.
Labour Union Says Government Promoting “Lawlessness”
The NLC accused the Vice President of effectively declaring that “capital is above the law,” warning that such rhetoric encourages impunity and undermines Nigeria’s democratic and legal foundations. The union described the remarks as a “deliberate abdication of responsibility” to protect Nigerian workers, adding that the government’s stance was tantamount to a “declaration of war on the long-suffering citizens of Nigeria.”
According to the union, Dangote Group has consistently violated workers’ rights to freedom of association and union membership — a breach of both Nigerian law and international labour conventions ratified by the country.
“To frame legitimate trade union activity as sabotage or a national threat is a fascistic tendency that we utterly reject,” the statement read.
The NLC insisted that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) was only carrying out its duty by defending its members from exploitation, and condemned attempts to portray the union as an enemy of progress.
