28 September 2025-Published by Cyril
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has declared a nationwide strike against Dangote Refinery, beginning Monday, September 29, 2025, over the alleged mass dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers.
In a circular issued after its emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused the multi-billion-dollar refinery of violating Nigeria’s Labour Act, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. The union claimed the refinery unjustly terminated workers for joining the association and replaced them with over 2,000 Indian nationals — a move it described as “an affront to all Nigerian workers.”
NAIJABLOGDAILY.COM
According to the directive, members across all field locations are to down tools from 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, while a complete nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies will begin from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29. The strike action includes halting all control room operations, crude oil and gas supply to the Dangote Refinery, as well as related petrochemical activities.
The NEC also announced 24-hour prayer vigils while urging government intervention, warning that the strike will continue until all dismissed workers are reinstated.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the circular stated.
The clash comes amid ongoing labour disputes between Dangote Refinery and petroleum sector unions, including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), over labour rights and workplace safety standards.
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NAIJABLOGDAILY gathered that the refinery had earlier accused some staff of sabotage in a letter dated September 24, 2025, which it said threatened the operational safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day facility.
While PENGASSAN insists over 800 staff were sacked, Dangote Refinery management denied claims of a mass dismissal, saying the company is undergoing internal reorganisation to improve efficiency, and that the majority of its workforce remains Nigerian.
If fully enforced, PENGASSAN’s strike could disrupt crude oil and gas supplies to Africa’s largest refinery, triggering serious implications for Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector.
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