THE simmering industrial dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has escalated, with the union directing its members to immediately cut off all gas and crude oil supplies to the $20 billion facility.
In a letter signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, on Friday sighted by News Point Nigeria, the union accused the refinery management of victimising unionised workers and engaging in “misinformation and propaganda” instead of constructive dialogue.
The directive, addressed to all PENGASSAN branch chairmen, particularly those in the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), instructed them to ensure that gas supply to the refinery was halted without delay.
The order also extended to TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, and other major upstream and midstream operators, mandating them to shut crude oil supply valves and suspend all loading operations to vessels headed to the refinery.
According to the union, the action was a necessary move to protect the constitutional rights of workers to freely associate and unionise without fear of intimidation or dismissal.
The Dangote Group has consistently denied allegations of mass layoffs at the refinery, insisting that only a limited number of staff were disengaged to safeguard the refinery’s operations from internal sabotage.
The company stressed that over 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the facility and reiterated that workers retain the freedom to decide whether or not to join a union.
The face-off between PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery marks a critical turning point in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, as the refinery touted as Africa’s largest relies heavily on steady supply of crude and gas to function effectively.
An industry expert, Mikail Olusanya told News Point Nigeria that if the shutdown order is enforced, it could disrupt the refinery’s operations, impact petroleum product availability, and potentially rattle the nation’s already fragile energy market.
