IN a development following last month’s industrial face-off between the Dangote Refinery management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the Dangote Group has redeployed the refinery engineers earlier disengaged at the peak of the dispute.
Findings by News Point Nigeria revealed that the affected workers, many of whom were still graduate trainees at the time of their dismissal, have now been offered redeployment to multiple Dangote business units across the country including locations in Borno, Zamfara, Benue, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Ebonyi States.
The move follows federal intervention and negotiations that compelled the company to recall and reassign the workers rather than terminate their employment entirely.
Sources confirmed that the affected engineers were invited to collect fresh letters titled “Offer of Trainee Engagement” under Dangote Projects Limited. A copy sighted by News Point Nigeria stated that the trainees would undergo classroom and hands-on training for a period of two years tied to Dangote’s coal projects, concrete road construction efforts, and agro-processing plants.
The letter, signed by the Chief General Manager, Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, stipulates that the new engagement is subject to several conditions, including reporting to the assigned location within 14 days or forfeiting the opportunity.
“This engagement aims to impart skills and enable you to take up positions of responsibility in the organisation,” the letter reads.
However, some redeployed engineers have expressed strong concerns, describing the new postings as unclear and potentially dangerous.
According to them: some deployment sites have no physical office address, locations are situated in security-challenged zones and google Maps searches showed no trace of the alleged project facilities.
“We fear accepting these letters may automatically terminate our employment, because there’s nowhere to report to,” one of them told News Point Nigeria.
PENGASSAN leadership reportedly advised affected members not to rush acceptance until discussions conclude.
An official of the Dangote Group confirmed the development, noting that the recall agreement included redeployment to other Dangote ventures both within and outside Nigeria.
The company has also indicated plans to recruit new engineers to fill refinery-specific roles, a move insiders described as “a major talent loss.”
One month ago, PENGASSAN staged a shutdown of oil and gas installations nationwide after Dangote allegedly terminated over 800 workers who volunteered to join the union.
Dangote, on the other hand, insisted only a handful of workers involved in what it called facility sabotage were fired.