The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered its members to halt gas supply to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery immediately. The union’s directive follows accusations that refinery management has dismissed unionized workers and pursued a “mission of misinformation and propaganda” instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue. In a letter signed by General Secretary Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN instructed branch chairmen to ensure that gas supplies to the refinery are cut off without delay, to shut all crude‑oil supply valves, and to stop all loading operations for vessels bound for the plant. The union says the action is intended to protect workers’ constitutional right to unionize.
The directive also targets key upstream and midstream oil companies, including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, and the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company, ordering them to cease all crude‑oil and gas deliveries to the refinery.
The Dangote Group has denied reports of mass layoffs, claiming that only a small number of employees were affected in an effort to safeguard refinery operations from sabotage. The company asserts that more than 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the refinery and that workers are free to decide whether to join a union.
PENGASSAN’s move is a response to what it describes as anti‑labor practices by the Dangote Refinery. The union has been campaigning for the reinstatement of dismissed Nigerian workers and alleges that the refinery is victimising employees who seek to unionise. The shutdown of gas and crude supplies could have significant implications for the refinery’s operations and for Nigeria’s oil industry as a whole, underscoring the ongoing tensions between labour unions and management in the sector. The dispute remains unresolved, and its impact on the country’s energy industry is still uncertain.
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