Sankofaonline: December 3 , 2025
When Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of the Dangote Group, revealed that saboteurs had attempted no fewer than twenty-two times to cripple Nigeria’s flagship private refinery, his words were not merely an indictment of a few errant workers. They were a chilling reminder of a deeper malaise gnawing at the very fabric of Africa’s development.
According to Edwin, these acts of sabotage ranged from triggering fires to manipulating machines, deliberate, calculated attempts to halt a project designed to reduce dependence on imported fuel and strengthen Nigeria’s economic sovereignty. If such treachery could be unleashed against a private enterprise equipped with modern monitoring systems, one shudders to imagine the scale of destruction wrought upon government-owned facilities, where inefficiency, union protection, and political patronage often shield misconduct from accountability.
This is not just a Nigerian story. It is an African story. Across the continent, critical infrastructure, whether refineries, power plants, or transport systems, has too often been undermined not by external enemies, but by insiders who trade patriotism for personal gain. The consequences are devastating: stalled progress, wasted billions, and a continent perpetually trapped in dependency.
The allegations strike at the heart of a question African citizens must confront: how can nations rise when their own citizens sabotage the engines of growth? Patriotism is not a slogan; it is a duty. To undermine national assets is not only criminal, it is a betrayal that will affect current and generations yet unborn.
African workers must recognize that every act of sabotage, every careless betrayal of national assets, is not just an attack on a refinery or a factory, it is an attack on their own future. When citizens undermine progress, they open the door for others to step in, to take over the very jobs and opportunities that should belong to Africans. Already, foreign hands, Indians and other nationals in this case, are filling the gaps left by unpatriotic behavior, not because they are more entitled or qualified , but because they are more disciplined and determined to protect the work they are given.
This is not simply about economics; it is about dignity. To sabotage Africa’s industries is to surrender Africa’s pride. It is to admit that others care more about our continent’s progress than we do ourselves. That is a shame no generation should carry.
The time has come for African workers to rise above petty sabotage and embrace the sacred duty of nation-building. Protect the refineries, protect the industries, protect the farms and the future. Africa cannot rise on broken machines and betrayed trust. It will rise only when its workers understand that their labor is not just a job, it is a covenant with dignity, with progress, and with the generations yet to come.
