PENGASSAN Begins Nationwide Strike On Monday Over Sack Of Its Members At Dangote Refinery

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN ) over weekend directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services following the alleged mass dismissal of over 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery as from Monday, 29 September, 2025
This directive was contained in a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa.
In the circular, the union accused the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by dismissing workers for joining the association.
The PENGASSAN NEC, in the circular, also alleged the refinery had replaced the dismissed staff with “over 2,000 Indians,” calling the action “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”
PENGASSAN also directed members in field locations to down tools from Sunday, and ordered a total nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies from Monday.
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 further announced 24-hour prayer vigils and appealed for government intervention, declaring the strike will continue until the dismissed workers are reinstated.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the circular said.
The refinery has been recently embroiled in a bitter row with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers over labour rights and safety standards.
BusinessTodayNG recalled that the current war emanated when Dangote refinery, in a letter dated September 24, 2025, ordered the sacking of some staff over alleged sabotage that it said threatened the operational safety of the 650,000-barrel-per-day facility.
PENGASSAN put the number of sacked staff at around 800, and called on the labour unions, relevant government agencies, and other stakeholders to intervene, describing the matter as one of “urgent national importance.”
But Dangote refinery quickly dismissed the mass sacking, insisting it was conducting an internal reorganisation to improve efficiency and insisted that the majority of its workforce remained Nigerian.
PENGASSAN’s action, if fully observed, risks disrupting supplies to the refinery and could have broader implications for downstream operations linked to the plant.