BY GODWIN OBI
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has declared a nationwide strike beginning Monday, following what it described as the unlawful dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery.
In a circular released after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the $20 billion refinery of grossly violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions.
PENGASSAN alleged that the refinery not only sacked Nigerian workers for joining the union but replaced them with “over 2,000 Indians,” branding the move as “an affront to the dignity of Nigerian workers.”
To press home its demands, the NEC ordered members across all oil and gas operations to commence withdrawal of services. Field workers were directed to stop work from 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, while a total nationwide shutdown is to begin by 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.
“All PENGASSAN members across field locations must withdraw services effective Sunday morning, and all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies nationwide must join the total shutdown from Monday. Gas and crude supplies to Dangote Refinery must cease immediately,” the circular read.
The union also ordered 24-hour prayer vigils, warning that the strike would continue indefinitely until all dismissed workers are reinstated.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” the NEC declared.
Government Intervention Looms
The move has triggered fresh tensions in the already strained oil and gas sector. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has also placed its members on standby for solidarity action, threatening a wider industrial crisis unless the matter is resolved quickly.
The crisis stems from a September 24, 2025, directive by Dangote Refinery dismissing staff accused of sabotage that allegedly endangered the safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day operations.
While PENGASSAN claims at least 800 Nigerians were affected, the refinery’s management denied carrying out a mass sacking, insisting that it was undergoing an “internal reorganisation” and that the “majority of its workforce remains Nigerian.”
Industry watchers warn that if the strike cripples supply lines to Dangote Refinery, it could disrupt downstream operations across the country, with far-reaching economic implications.
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