The standoff between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) intensified on Saturday as the union ordered seven of its branches to halt crude oil and gas supplies to refinery.
In a letter dated September 26 and signed by General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused the refinery’s management of sacking its members in retaliation for exercising their constitutional right to join the union.
The union alleged that management also withdrew staff buses and barred local workers from entering the facility while allowing expatriates access.
The directive instructed branch chairmen in major upstream and midstream companies — including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, Renaissance, and Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company, to immediately shut crude oil and gas supply valves to the refinery and halt loading operations for vessels headed there.
“This is in reaction to the illegitimate disengagement of our members for being unionized,” the directive read. “Rather than engage meaningfully with us to resolve the matter, the management has resorted to misinformation and propaganda. All crude oil supply valves to the refinery must be shut and gas supply cut off effective immediately.”
PENGASSAN also instructed its NGIC chairman to ensure strict compliance with the order and provide regular updates on enforcement. The directive ended with the union’s slogan: “Injury to one! Injury to all!”
Dangote Refinery, however, denied allegations of mass layoffs, stating in a Friday statement that only a small number of workers were affected as part of a restructuring exercise aimed at preventing sabotage that posed risks to operations and human lives. The company said over 3,000 Nigerians remain in its employment and dismissed the claims as misinformation.
This escalation comes just days after the refinery announced it would suspend petrol sales in naira from September 28 due to the exhaustion of its crude-for-naira allocations.
In a letter dated September 26 and signed by General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused the refinery’s management of sacking its members in retaliation for exercising their constitutional right to join the union.
The union alleged that management also withdrew staff buses and barred local workers from entering the facility while allowing expatriates access.
The directive instructed branch chairmen in major upstream and midstream companies — including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, Renaissance, and Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company, to immediately shut crude oil and gas supply valves to the refinery and halt loading operations for vessels headed there.
“This is in reaction to the illegitimate disengagement of our members for being unionized,” the directive read. “Rather than engage meaningfully with us to resolve the matter, the management has resorted to misinformation and propaganda. All crude oil supply valves to the refinery must be shut and gas supply cut off effective immediately.”
PENGASSAN also instructed its NGIC chairman to ensure strict compliance with the order and provide regular updates on enforcement. The directive ended with the union’s slogan: “Injury to one! Injury to all!”
Dangote Refinery, however, denied allegations of mass layoffs, stating in a Friday statement that only a small number of workers were affected as part of a restructuring exercise aimed at preventing sabotage that posed risks to operations and human lives. The company said over 3,000 Nigerians remain in its employment and dismissed the claims as misinformation.
This escalation comes just days after the refinery announced it would suspend petrol sales in naira from September 28 due to the exhaustion of its crude-for-naira allocations.
See the full statement below:
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