The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly condemned the alleged recruitment of 89 unskilled labourers from Katsina State to work at Dangote’s Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
It said Dangote Refinery, by that action, committed an aberration of the highest order.
NATIONAL POST recalls that controversy had trailed the presence of the youths in Lagos State, with residents raising security concerns.
But the Lagos State police command quickly ruled out any security threat.
The spokesperson of the command, Benjamin Hundeyin, stated: “Upon receipt of the information on May 14, 2025, officers from the command immediately deployed to the location to ascertain the facts.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the young men in question, 89 in number, had arrived from Katsina State and were recruited to work as labourers at the Dangote Refinery in Lekki.”
Reacting to the developments, the NLC, through its Lagos State chapter, described the action as a violation of labour laws and a potential security risk to the host community.
Chairperson of NLC in Lagos State, Comrade Funmi Sessi, maintained that the presence of the young men constituted a security threat in the state, adding that bringing them also violated labour laws.
Sessi said, “My position is that what the Dangote Refinery did is very wrong.
“These people are low-income earners. The rule of engagement and labour rules have stated clearly that 70 per cent of those in the locality should be given the opportunity while 30 per cent can be given to those who have skills.
“Which kind of skills will they tell us that these people have that the young people who are unemployed in the locality don’t have? Which competence don’t those people in the community have? This is an aberration.
“I believe Dangote can’t do this. He has companies in all parts of this country; why couldn’t he recruit these guys for his company in the northern part and reserve these ones for those in the South, where the refinery is situated?”
The labour leader called on the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Federal Ministry of Labour to call the management of the Dangote Refinery to return the “boys” in order to avert the labour crisis.
“Anyway, this is not the first time he is doing this. Dangote is fond of bringing in Indians and other expatriates as technicians.
“He prefers to bring foreigners who don’t even have the knowledge of our own local people. This is unacceptable to us.
“We are already calling him out. This is the first series of it. We are also using this opportunity to tell the government of Lagos State and the Federal Ministry of Labour that Dangote has committed an aberration of the highest order.
“Those guys should be taken back to Dangote’s companies in the northern part, not in Lagos State. If Dangote refuses to do this, we will involve the NLC at the national level to fight this act of bringing 89 unskilled workers to Lagos State,” she told Weekend Trust.
A source at Dangote Refinery was also quoted to have said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the presence of the 89 labourers at the refinery.