THE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members nationwide to down tools following the alleged dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
In a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery of breaching Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions by sacking workers who joined the association.
The NEC further alleged that the refinery replaced the dismissed staff with “over 2,000 Indians,” describing the move as “an affront to all Nigerian workers.”
To press its demands, PENGASSAN instructed members in field locations to withdraw their services from 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, with a nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies to begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.
It also directed that all processes involving gas and crude supply to the refinery be halted immediately, while international oil companies were ordered to ramp down production and supply to the plant.
The circular added that 24-hour prayer vigils would be held during the strike, stressing that no intervention would be entertained except in situations threatening personnel safety or critical assets.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the NEC declared, calling on the Federal Government to intervene and vowing that the strike would continue until the sacked workers were reinstated.
The directive comes amid a deepening labour dispute between the refinery and oil sector unions over workers’ rights and safety standards.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.