The $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery is still battling a major labour crisis. This comes after the order by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria for its members across 7 oil and gas firms to halt all crude oil and gas supplies to the mega facility.
Dangote Group has since blasted the directive, describing it as criminal, lawless and economic sabotage.
After the crude oil and gas shutdown, PENGASSAN revealed that it would organize an emergency National Executive Council meeting to deliberate on the next phase of action.
According to union sources, discussions would centre on a potential nationwide strike should Dangote fail to reinstate the sacked workers and address its ongoing injustices.
“Should they fail to reverse this barbaric action, the union will have no choice but to act. This isn’t just about Dangote anymore—it’s about setting a precedent,” a senior union official said.
Reports have said that the Nigeria Labour Congress, though not directly involved in the dispute, is closely monitoring developments pending a formal response from the Trade Union Congress to which PENGASSAN is affiliated.
Efforts to reach the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the TUC President, Festus Osifo, have proven abortive thus far.
Reacting to PENGASSAN’s order, Dangote accused the union of trying to deny Nigerians access to petrol, diesel and cooking gas.
He stated that, in addition to the union’s antics amid the ongoing face-off with Dangote Refinery, the directive is clearly an economic sabotage that should be discouraged.
Dangote concluded by saying that it is unjustifiable for PENGASSAN to make life harder for Nigerians just to score cheap points.
“Apart from the lawlessness and criminality inherent in the PENGASSAN’s instruction to its branches, the association’s directive amounts to economic sabotage at multiple levels. In plain language, PENGASSAN has directed its branches to disrupt and stop the supply of petroleum products from the Dangote refinery to Nigerians.
The products that would be disrupted and stopped include but are not limited to aviation fuel, petrol, kerosene, diesel and cooking gas—all products that are used and required by all stripes of Nigerians and persons living in Nigeria, whether high and mighty or lowly and ordinary. In what circumstance would it be justified for PENGASSAN to so disrupt and introduce insufferable hardship into the living conditions of Nigerians? None that we can see.
Absolutely no law gives PENGASSAN the right to direct its branches to ‘cut off’ gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery or at all. There is also no law in our statute books that would support or enable the PENGASSAN branches having to cut off gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery or at all.
Besides, it constitutes criminal conduct for PENGASSAN or its members to disrupt and/or interfere in any way whatsoever with the contract between Dangote Refinery and its various vendors for the supply of gas and crude oil to the refinery. These supply contracts were not entered into with PENGASSAN; they were entered into by Dangote refinery with third-party vendors and suppliers, and PENGASSAN has no right whatsoever to disrupt and/or interfere with the performance of those contracts,” he added.
