The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services following the alleged mass dismissal of over 800 Nigerian staff by Dangote Refinery.
In a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused Dangote Refinery of breaching Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by sacking workers for joining the association.
The NEC further alleged that the refinery replaced the dismissed employees with “over 2,000 Indians,” describing the move as “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”
To press its demands, PENGASSAN ordered members at field locations to withdraw services starting 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, 2025, and called for a total nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies beginning 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2025.
“All PENGASSAN members working across field locations are to withdraw services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, 28 September 2025 and commence 24-hour prayers. This includes all control room operations, panel operations, and outfield personnel,” the letter read in part.
It also instructed all international oil company (IOC) branches to ramp down gas production and cut supply to Dangote Refinery and its petrochemical operations, warning that no intervention would be allowed unless personnel or asset safety was at risk.
The NEC announced 24-hour prayer vigils and urged government intervention, vowing the strike would continue until the sacked workers were reinstated.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the circular stated.
This latest development escalates the refinery’s ongoing labour dispute with unions.
In a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused Dangote Refinery of breaching Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by sacking workers for joining the association.
The NEC further alleged that the refinery replaced the dismissed employees with “over 2,000 Indians,” describing the move as “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”
To press its demands, PENGASSAN ordered members at field locations to withdraw services starting 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, 2025, and called for a total nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies beginning 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2025.
“All PENGASSAN members working across field locations are to withdraw services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, 28 September 2025 and commence 24-hour prayers. This includes all control room operations, panel operations, and outfield personnel,” the letter read in part.
It also instructed all international oil company (IOC) branches to ramp down gas production and cut supply to Dangote Refinery and its petrochemical operations, warning that no intervention would be allowed unless personnel or asset safety was at risk.
The NEC announced 24-hour prayer vigils and urged government intervention, vowing the strike would continue until the sacked workers were reinstated.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the circular stated.
This latest development escalates the refinery’s ongoing labour dispute with unions.
Dangote Refinery in a letter dated September 24, 2025, justified the dismissals as a response to alleged sabotage that threatened the safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day facility.
While PENGASSAN claims 800 workers were sacked, the refinery has denied carrying out mass dismissals, insisting that the move was part of an internal reorganisation and that the majority of its workforce remains Nigerian.
If fully implemented, PENGASSAN’s strike could disrupt crude oil and gas supplies to the refinery and trigger wider ripple effects across Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.
While PENGASSAN claims 800 workers were sacked, the refinery has denied carrying out mass dismissals, insisting that the move was part of an internal reorganisation and that the majority of its workforce remains Nigerian.
If fully implemented, PENGASSAN’s strike could disrupt crude oil and gas supplies to the refinery and trigger wider ripple effects across Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.
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