… As PENGASSAN shuts down oil sector over Dangote sackings
ABUJA – The nation’s oil and gas sector faces fresh disruptions as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) declared a nationwide strike over the sack of more than 800 Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery.
General Secretary of the union, Mr. Lumumba Okugbawa, announced the action in Abuja on Sunday, following an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC).
Okugbawa accused the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international labour conventions by terminating the workers’ employment and allegedly replacing them with over 2,000 foreign staff.
He described the move as “a direct assault on Nigerian workers and a dangerous precedent in the oil and gas industry.”
“No man or company, no matter how highly placed, is above the law,” he said. “We cannot stand by and watch Nigerians subjected to the worst type of working conditions in their own country.”
The strike action, which took effect on Sunday morning, has seen PENGASSAN members across field locations withdraw their services.
Those in offices, agencies, and companies are expected to down tools beginning 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.
The union also announced the immediate suspension of all crude oil and gas supplies to the Dangote Refinery.
Industry sources said the strike could disrupt ongoing operations at the multi-billion-dollar refinery, regarded as Africa’s largest single-train refinery and a critical project in Nigeria’s quest for self-sufficiency in fuel supply.
The union has also called for a 24-hour nationwide prayer session, urging Nigerians to join in appealing for divine intervention. According to Okugbawa, the prayer point is “for courage for those in authority to rein in Dangote and his co-travelers, and to compel obedience to the laws of the country.”
PENGASSAN insisted that the sack of its members would not go unchallenged, warning that the strike would continue until the refinery recalls the workers and addresses the grievances raised.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. We will resist any attempt to enslave Nigerian workers in their own land,” the statement declared.
The Dangote Refinery, commissioned in May 2023, has been a centerpiece of Nigeria’s industrial ambition, with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude per day. But the current labour dispute, analysts warn, could stall operations and heighten tension in the sector, especially with global oil prices already volatile.
Government sources hinted last night that the Ministry of Labour and Employment may wade into the crisis this week to prevent a total shutdown of oil and gas activities nationwide.
