1 month ago
15
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA– The National Industrial Court sitting successful Abuja, connected Monday, restrained the Petroleum, Natural Gas Workers Association of Nigeria, PENGASAN, from embarking connected its planned concern enactment against Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
The court, successful a ruling that was delivered by Justice Emmanuel Subilim, made the bid pursuing an ex-parte exertion that was filed earlier it by Dangote Refinery.
Other defendants successful the substance included the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPCL, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum, arsenic good arsenic the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
The tribunal specifically barred the defendants from cutting crude and state proviso to Dangote Refinery.
In the question it filed done a squad of lawyers led by Mr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, Dangote Refinery applied for bid of interim injunction to restrain the 1st defendant, its members, agents, servants, privies, representatives, assigns oregon whatsoever and howsoever called, from calling oregon directing the halt of crude and state proviso to the claimant, nether immoderate guise, and oregon embarking connected immoderate concern enactment against the claimant with a presumption to crippling, blocking roads oregon obstructing the travel of vehicular movement, shutting down operations of the claimant oregon licensees of the 2nd to 4th defendants named successful the 1st defendant’s directives dated September 26, 2025 oregon by immoderate means frustrating the businesses/activities of the claimant/Applicant, pending the proceeding and determination of the Motion connected notice.
The litigant arsenic sought an bid of interim injunction restraining the 2nd – 4th defendants, their employees, members, agents, servants, privies, representatives, licensees, assigns oregon whatsoever and howsoever called, from giving effect to the directives of the 1st suspect to halt the proviso of crude and state to the claimant oregon joining, continuing, embarking on, oregon successful immoderate mode participating successful the planned concern enactment of the 1st suspect and its affiliates and cronies, oregon immoderate different onslaught whatsoever, against the claimant/Applicant, with a presumption to frustrating her businesses and operations, pending the proceeding and determination of the Motion connected Notice.
Dangote Refinery told the tribunal that it is simply a petroleum accumulation and oregon organisation institution licensed to own, run and nutrient petroleum and petrochemical products for the wide depletion of the Nigerian public, and whose concern provides indispensable services to the Nigerian system and the wide public.
It averred that recently, determination person been incidents of sabotage by immoderate of employees astatine its plant, which brought up issues of sedate wellness interest and information of quality lives.
According to the claimant, its absorption came to an irresistible decision that determination should beryllium re-organisation successful the works which led to relieving of immoderate of its unit of their employment and aforesaid was communicated to each unit by a memo dated September 25, 2025.
Counsel to the claimant further told the tribunal that successful the aboriginal hours of September 26, the claimant received online study that it laid workers disconnected due to the fact that they joined the 1st defendant’s union.
He said the absorption of the claimant, done a property statement, debunked the allegation and explained the institution was not averse to its members joining unions arsenic specified was wrong their law rights.
He disclosed that the claimant has implicit 3,000 Nigerians successful its workforce, insisting that lone a neglible fig of the unit members were affected by the re-organisation that was occasioned by sabotage and information concerns.
The lawyer arsenic told the tribunal that by a missive dated September 26 and circulated online, the 1st defendant, done its General Secretary, Comrade Lamumba Okugbawa, wrote to the Hon. Minister of Petroleum & Gas, and warned that the 1st suspect and its members would instrumentality enactment that would unit Dangote Refinery to its knees should it neglect to callback the affected unit which was described successful the said missive arsenic implicit 800.
“The 1st Defendant issued a property connection connected the 26th time of September, 2025 wherein it erroneously referred to the laying disconnected of the workers by the Claimant arsenic anti-labour practices, alleging that the workers were being victimized due to the fact that they joined the 1st Defendant arsenic members of the national which is not correct.
“Irrespective of the mentation offered by t...
English (US) ·