…Dangote hits PENGASSAN back, describing the union as saboteurs.
…TUC gives it full support. PENGASSAN strike action
…Fuel scarcity Looms
The faceoff between Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over the sacking of some union members is assuming a very dangerous dimension that may have negative impact on the nation’s fragile economy, as the union has ordered its members to withdraw their services nationwide today, Monday.
This action may result to a catastrophic consequences as even the production of crude oil may be affected
Already, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which is the umbrella body of PENGASSAN, has given its full backing to the strike action, saying it will be in solidarity with PENGASSAN.
Other unions such as NARTO, NUPENG, PETROAN, and NAGASA have already shown solidarity with PENGASSAN, meaning that the transport system in the country could be grounded no distant time.
The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, in responding to PENGASSAN’s demand for a boycott by its members, berated the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), accusing the union of decades-long sabotage of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and serving the interests of its leaders rather than ordinary Nigerians.
PENGASSAN, in a letter signed by its general secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, and with Ref. No.: PENG.47/IR-int.000317/025 September 27, 2025, directed to all the union members, to withdraw their services
“The National Executive Council (NEC) of PENGASSAN, in an emergency meeting of all its branches today, Saturday, the 27th of September, noted as follows:
“1. That Dangote Refiner’s unilateral action to sack over 800 members of our Association for joining PENGASSAN is an affront to all workers in Nigeria and a deliberate violation of Nigeria’s labor laws, the Constitution, and ILO conventions.
2. That Dangote Refiner’s notoriety for enslaving Nigerian workers, and the eventual sack of all Nigerians working in the refinery and hiring of over 2,000 Indians, is a show of disloyalty to a country that has given him the most incentives any company has ever enjoyed in Nigeria, at taxpayers’ expense. They have subjected Nigerians to the worst type of working conditions in the oil and gas industry.
3. That no man or company, no matter how highly placed, is above the law and cannot be called to order by the national institutions.
4. That the over 800 staff whose jobs have been given to Indians, and their families, are Nigerians and victims who were made to suffer unjustly, and there is an urgent need to avoid setting a dangerous precedent.”
“ Consequently, the NEC resolves as follows:
1. All PENGASSAN members working across field locations are to withdraw services effective 06:00 hrs on Sunday, the 28th of September, 2025, and commence 24-hour prayers. This includes all control room operations, panel operations, and outfield personnel.
2. All PENGASSAN members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies should withdraw all services effective 00:01 on Monday, the 29th of September, 2025.”
“3. No intervention whatsoever will be entertained across field locations except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk; such clearance must be obtained from the National Secretariat.
4. All processes that involve gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should be let off effectively immediately.
5. All IOC branches must ramp down gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery and petrochemicals.
The prayer point should include a call to God Almighty to give courage to those in authority to rein in Dangote and his co-travelers on the need to obey the laws of our country.
No man is bigger than our country!!
An injury to one is an injury to all.”
Dangote Refinery’s Response
The management of the company also in a statement issued on Sunday, the refinery described PENGASSAN’s latest directive to cut crude oil and gas supplies to the facility as another act of economic sabotage designed to inflict untold hardship on Nigerians.
“Indeed, over time, the Association has consistently proved itself as serving interests other than those of Nigerians and Nigerian workers,” the statement declared.
Dangote recalled that in 2007, when the Federal Government sold its moribund Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to Blue Star Consortium, led by the Dangote Group, for $750 million, it was PENGASSAN and its ally, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), that sabotaged the deal. “It is now obvious to everyone that the FGN’s decision at the time was the right one and that PENGASSAN and NUPENG ignominiously wrote their names on the wrong pages of history,” the company said.
The refinery also faulted the union’s role in the much-publicized rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, describing it as a “ruse” that PENGASSAN “knowingly celebrated despite being a scam on Nigerians.” The statement further accused the union of opposing amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that would have freed up federal liquidity and attracted private-sector funding into Nigeria’s upstream oil ventures.
Beyond policy obstruction, Dangote Refinery accused the association of mismanaging billions of naira in annual check-off dues to bankroll the “lavish lifestyles” of its leaders, without accountability to members. By contrast, the refinery highlighted its own record of economic contributions within a short period, citing road construction, worker training, the creation of thousands of Nigerian jobs, and a compensation structure that “outdistances the best in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”
“The Dangote Group is the highest employer of labor in Nigeria and the highest contributor to the tax revenues of Nigeria and its sub-nationals. What comparable social responsibility has PENGASSAN, with its billions of Naira in annual check-off dues and subscriptions, lived up to?” The statement was queried, challenging the union to publish its audited accounts for the past ten years. “Can it publish publicly its account for the last 10 years and list out its corporate responsibility activities within that timeframe?”
The refinery insisted that PENGASSAN’s recent directive to withdraw services and cut off essential fuel supplies, including but not limited to petrol, diesel, kerosene, cooking gas, and aviation fuel, was reckless, lawless, and dangerous. It said the order is not about protecting Nigerian workers, but it is about a cabal of oligarchs weaponizing hardship against over 230 million Nigerians.
“In the process, it (PENGASSAN) cares little, if at all, about the unbearable hardship and terror it would thereby inflict on all Nigerians, including but not limited to the provision of essential services in our hospitals and medical facilities, schools (nursery and right up to tertiary and research institutions), emergency services, communications facilities, transportation systems, etc.,” it said.
Dangote Refinery called on the Federal Government and security agencies to step in immediately to protect the facility and the nation’s energy security, stressing that the union must not be allowed to “bully Nigerians into chaos and economic sabotage.”
