The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered an immediate halt to crude oil and gas supplies ...
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered an immediate halt to crude oil and gas supplies to Dangote Refinery, escalating its standoff with the facility's management over the dismissal of unionised workers.
The directive was issued on Saturday following an emergency meeting of the union’s national leadership. In a letter signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN instructed its members across key upstream and midstream companies—including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, Renaissance, and Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC)—to suspend all supply operations to the refinery.
“As you are aware, the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has disengaged our members in reaction to the exercise of their constitutional right to unionize,” the letter stated. “They have gone further on a mission of misinformation and propaganda to justify this illegitimacy rather than engaging meaningfully with us to right the wrong.”
The union accused the refinery of targeting its members in a retaliatory move, alleging that staff buses were withdrawn and union members denied entry into the premises, while expatriate workers were allowed continued access.
PENGASSAN warned last week that it would picket the refinery if the alleged discriminatory actions were not addressed. The union described the refinery’s actions as “illegitimate” and said its decision to halt supply was a measure to uphold workers’ rights.
The leadership further directed the NGIC branch to shut down all crude oil supply valves to the refinery and halt ongoing loading operations for any vessels bound for the facility.
“NGIC Chairman, ensure that gas supply to the Refinery is cut off effective immediately. All chairmen on this summons are to report promptly the progress of the directive,” the union said, ending the communication with its signature slogan: “Injury to one, injury to all.”
In response, Dangote Refinery denied claims of mass layoffs, stating that only a limited number of workers were affected by what it described as an internal restructuring. The company said over 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the facility.
It further defended the move as necessary to prevent recurring incidents of sabotage, which it said had posed serious risks to human lives and refinery operations.
Despite the refinery’s explanation, PENGASSAN insists that the dismissals were targeted and unjustified, calling for the immediate reinstatement of affected workers and a return to dialogue.
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