The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has directed its members across the country to withdraw their services following the alleged dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery.
The union gave the order after an emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Saturday, September 27, 2025. In a circular signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused the refinery of breaking Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by sacking workers who joined the union.
The circular further alleged that the refinery replaced the dismissed staff with “over 2,000 Indians,” describing the move as “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”
The letter reads in part, “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.
“All PENGASSAN members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies should withdraw all services effective 00:01 on Monday, 29th of September, 2025.
“No intervention whatsoever will be entertained across field locations except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk; such clearance must be obtained from the National Secretariat.
“All processes that involve gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should be let off effectively immediately.
“All IOC branches must ramp down gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery and petrochemicals.”
The NEC also announced 24-hour prayer vigils during the strike and appealed for government intervention, insisting that the action would continue until the sacked workers are reinstated.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the union stated.
PENGASSAN warned that the shutdown would affect both field and office operations nationwide, potentially disrupting fuel supply and downstream operations tied to the refinery.
The development comes amid an ongoing dispute between Dangote Refinery and labour unions over workers’ rights and safety standards.
PUNCH Online recalls that the clash deepened after the refinery, in a letter dated September 24, 2025, ordered the dismissal of some staff over alleged sabotage said to have threatened the safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day plant.
While PENGASSAN put the figure of affected workers at 800, it urged government agencies, labour bodies, and stakeholders to intervene, describing the situation as “a matter of urgent national importance.”
But Dangote Refinery management denied claims of a mass sacking. The company said it was only carrying out an internal reorganisation aimed at improving efficiency and maintained that the majority of its staff were Nigerians.
The strike, if fully observed, could cripple operations at the refinery and spark wider supply disruptions across the country.
