*JAGABAN & EFCC MUST HEAR THIS: How NUPENG is Destroying the Economy* (By Dr. Ope Banwo – Mayor of Fadeyi and Founder of Naija Lives Matter)

Nigeria finally built the “game changer” we’ve been waiting for—the Dangote Refinery. Now finally it appears Nigeria may actually become a net exporter of petrol instead of a perennial importer of a product who raw material is in abundance in our nation. We all thought this was the end of endless fuel importation and the beginning of self-reliance. But before the dream can even take off, another nightmare is already at the gate.

Aliko Dangote himself just raised the alarm: truck drivers loading fuel at his refinery are being charged as much as ₦50,000 per truck. By the time “other groups” also collect, that bill jumps to about ₦80,000–₦84,000 per truck.

What!!! Please Do the math with me:
• 2,000 trucks × ₦50,000 = ₦100 million daily.
• In 20 days, that’s ₦2 billion.
• ⁠in 30 days there N3billion
• ⁠in one year that’s N36BILLION !!

Now the question every Nigerian should ask is simple: Who is spending this money? What projects has NUPENG done with it? Which schools, roads, or hospitals has it built? If the law does not permit unions to impose levies on private businesses, then what is happening here is nothing but economic hijacking.

And when ₦3 billion a month vanishes into private pockets in a month, don’t think it ends there. That invisible tax rides straight into the fuel pump price. From there, it jumps into transport fares, then into food costs, and finally into rent and school fees. Ordinary Nigerians end up paying for silence.

This is not unionism. This is extortion wearing a labour badge.

*7 Serious Measures Government and EFCC Must Take*

1. *Immediate Audit of All Truck Fees*

Send EFCC and NMDPRA auditors to the refinery gates to publish exactly who is collecting money, how much, and under what authority. Sunlight is the first disinfectant.

2. *Freeze and Trace Suspicious Accounts*
If ₦100 million per day is really flowing, EFCC must freeze the accounts used for these collections and trace where the money has been going. Follow the money—don’t just follow the noise.

3. *Ban Cash Payments at the Gate*
All refinery truck fees should go through a central digital platform controlled by NMDPRA, with receipts. No more brown envelopes and midnight collections.

4. *Prosecute Illegal Collectors for Economic Sabotage*
If the audit proves that non-statutory levies are being imposed, EFCC should file charges under economic crimes laws. Nigerians must see that looting in daylight has consequences.

5. *Protect Voluntary Union Rights, Outlaw Compulsory Levies*
Government should make it crystal clear: you can join NUPENG if you want, but no one can force you or your employer to pay to load fuel. Unionism is about rights, not ransom.

6. *Create A Whistleblower Hotline for Drivers*
Give tanker drivers and marketers a direct channel to report gate extortion without fear. Protect them, reward them, and punish offenders immediately.

7. *Publish a Transparent Legal Fee Schedule*
Let NMDPRA print and paste a simple sign at every loading gate: “Legal Charges Per Truck = ₦X. Anything else is illegal.”

That way, everyone knows what’s real and what’s robbery.

The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about Dangote. It’s about the future of Nigeria’s economy. The refinery was supposed to save us billions in foreign exchange, create jobs, and lower fuel costs. But if unions and “gate collectors” are allowed to milk it dry, then we’re not building prosperity—we’re refining corruption.

And Nigerians are not fools. We want to know: Where is the ₦2 billion per month going? Who signs the cheques? Who are the silent beneficiaries of this “refinery tax”?

*Time For The Jagaban Test*
President Tinubu has always styled himself as a man who takes tough decisions. This is the time to prove it. If you don’t act, the Dangote Refinery—our national hope—will be strangled before it fully breathes.

Mr. President, this is not politics. This is survival. Nigerians cannot afford to fund rent-seekers at the refinery gate. Jagaban, the EFCC, and NMDPRA must step in now.

Because if we allow ₦100 million per day to keep vanishing into private pockets, then every litre you and I buy tomorrow will carry the price tag of our silence today.

My name is Dr. Ope Banwo, aka Mayor of Fadeyi and Founder of Naija Lives Matter