PENGASSAN directs members to begin nationwide strike over mass sack of members by Dangote Refinery

…Total shutdown of each offices, facilities others, from 12:01 a.m. connected Monday

…IOCs to ramp down state accumulation linked to Dangote facility

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered its members crossed the state to retreat their services pursuing the alleged wide sack of implicit 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery.

In a circular issued connected Saturday, September 27, 2025, aft an exigency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the national accused the refinery of unfair labour practices, including replacing the sacked Nigerians with implicit 2,000 overseas workers.

The circular, signed by PENGASSAN’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, described the enactment arsenic “an affront to Nigerian workers, a usurpation of Nigeria’s Constitution, labour laws, and planetary labour standards.”

PENGASSAN said the determination to sack its members for joining the national was a deliberate onslaught connected workers’ rights. “No antheral oregon company, nary substance however highly placed, is supra the law. The sack of Nigerians and their replacement with foreigners is disloyal to a state that has fixed the refinery unprecedented incentives astatine taxpayers’ expense,” the connection read.

To property location its demands, the NEC directed: “All PENGASSAN members successful tract locations to down tools from 6:00 a.m. connected Sunday, September 28, 2025.

“A full nationwide shutdown by each members crossed offices, companies, institutions, and agencies from 12:01 a.m. connected Monday, September 29, 2025.

“Immediate suspension of each crude lipid and state proviso to Dangote Refinery and its petrochemical operations.

International Oil Companies (IOCs) to ramp down state accumulation linked to the refinery.”

The national besides declared that members would embark connected 24-hour prayers, calling connected authorities to intervene and compel Dangote Refinery to respect Nigeria’s labour laws.

PENGASSAN vowed that the onslaught volition proceed until the sacked workers are reinstated, warning: “An wounded to 1 is an wounded to all. No antheral is bigger than our country.”

However, Dangote Refinery sources dismissed the union’s claims arsenic exaggerated. The absorption insisted that nary wide sack had taken place, explaining that the institution was lone undergoing an interior reorganization to heighten efficiency. The refinery maintained that the bulk of its workforce remained Nigerian, contrary to PENGASSAN’s allegations.

PENGASSAN had besides earlier accused the absorption of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals of transferring its members, including Nigerian engineers, to different subsidiaries successful an effort to weaken its beingness astatine the facility.

In a petition by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Branch, addressed to the Lagos Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, the national alleged that Nigerian engineers who joined the relation had been redeployed to Dangote Sugar and different concern units nether circumstances it considers punitive.

According to the petition by Branch Chairman, Abdulfatai Muhammed, and Secretary, Eseoghene Choice, the enactment contradicts Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees workers’ close to state of association.

The national besides raised concerns astir moving conditions astatine the refinery, alleging that galore engineers deficiency capable idiosyncratic protective equipment, PPE, and are exposed to hazardous environments without hazard allowance, wellness insurance, oregon compensation.

On remuneration, PENGASSAN claimed that Nigerian engineers astatine the refinery are among the lowest paid successful the midstream and upstream lipid and state sector, contempt the delicate quality of their jobs. It further claimed that expatriates inhabit the bulk of apical absorption positions astatine the refinery, contrary to the intent of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010.

The petition further criticised the refinery’s caller determination to merchantability petrol exclusively successful dollars, informing that the argumentation could weaken the naira, substance inflation, and impact Nigeria’s vigor security.

“The accordant signifier of behaviour reflects victimisation of Nigerian workers, breach of the constitution, and policies that undermine the nationalist interest,” the national stated.

The relation called connected the enactment of PENGASSAN, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and applicable authorities agencies to urgently intervene, describing the substance arsenic 1 of “urgent nationalist importance.”

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