Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The raging dispute between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has deepened as union members on Monday commenced picketing of key oil and gas regulatory agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA.
The industrial action follows the union’s directive to members nationwide to withdraw services, halt crude oil and gas supplies to Dangote Refinery, and shut down operations in solidarity with over 800 Nigerian workers allegedly sacked by the refinery.
At the centre of the storm, Dangote Refinery accused PENGASSAN of “lies, lawlessness and terror tactics,” warning that the union’s actions amounted to sabotage against Nigeria. In a strongly worded statement, the refinery said:
“PENGASSAN has, by this Release affirmed its decision to unleash the terror which we forewarned. It has directed its members across the Nigerian State not to enable howsoever the production and supply by Dangote Refinery of those basic petroleum products which Nigerians and businesses across the country need for their daily sustenance and living.”
The company dismissed the union’s claim that Nigerian workers were being replaced with foreigners, describing it as false and misleading.
“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our Petroleum Refinery and we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programs and experienced hire recruitment process,” the refinery stated.
It acknowledged that a “very small number of staff” had been affected by an ongoing restructuring, insisting the exercise was neither arbitrary nor targeted at union members.
But PENGASSAN fired back, accusing Dangote Refinery of gross violations of the Labour Act and the Trade Union Act.
In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Ighótemu Okugbawa, the union alleged that over 800 Nigerians were laid off and replaced by “over 2,000 Indian workers, many of whom lack valid immigration documentation.”
“This move not only undermines the livelihoods of our citizens but also raises serious concerns about the integrity of labour practices and compliance with the Labour Act of Nigeria,” Okugbawa declared.
The union insisted that the sackings occurred after the workers joined PENGASSAN, describing the development as victimisation.
“We will not tolerate this blatant disregard for the rights of Nigerian workers. The sacrifice and talents of our workforce deserve respect, and we demand accountability from employers who possess a social responsibility to the communities they operate in,” the union warned.
On the streets, the fallout was immediate. PENGASSAN members stormed the NNPC Towers in Abuja and blocked access to the offices of NUPRC and NMDPRA, vowing to sustain the protest until the sacked workers are reinstated.
“This slave labour of our brothers and sisters must not be tolerated or supported, as injury to one is injury to all,” Okugbawa told reporters during the picketing.
The showdown has raised fears of supply disruptions nationwide, with the federal government stepping in to reassure Nigerians.
The Ministry of Finance, in a statement signed by Director of Information Mohammed Manga, insisted that “there will be no disruption in the supply of refined petroleum products” and that the crude-for-naira initiative “will continue uninterrupted.”
The government further confirmed that the issues between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN were being addressed “with urgency and in good faith.”
Despite the assurances, tension remains high as Nigerians brace for possible fuel shortages if the impasse drags on.
