The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket the Dangote refinery over the alleged sacking of 800 workers who joined the association.
The association alleged that over 2,000 Indian nationals were recruited by the company to take over the jobs of those sacked by Dangote on Thursday.
However, the Dangote refinery said only a few of its workers were fired over repeated cases of sabotage.
The management of the company said this was an ongoing reorganisation, which became necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage.
A letter had surfaced on social media earlier Friday indicating the sacking of “all staff” over sabotage.
The letter, titled, ‘Reorganisation’ and addressed to all staff of the refinery on Thursday partly read, “In view of the many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the petroleum refinery leading to major safety concerns, the management is constrained to carry out a total reorganisation of the plant.
“As a consequence of this development, we wish to inform you that your services are no longer required, with effect from the eve of Thursday, the 25th of September, 2025.
“Please surrender all the company’s properties in your possession to your line manager and obtain an exit clearance accordingly, but the date for doing so will be communicated to you later.”
However, leaders of PENGASSAN said the workers were sacked for joining the union.
The General Secretary of the group, Lumumba Okugbawa, alleged that 800 workers were sacked for becoming members of PENGASSAN.
“When the witch cries in the night and the baby dies in the morning, what do you expect?
“In the letter, they didn’t say it was because they joined the union. But as of Thursday, the workers actually completed the process of unionisation as directed by the Federal Government.
“So, over 800 agreed to join the union. The management went to do headcounts, and they found out that these guys voluntarily joined; the next thing we saw was the (sack) letter, firing all Nigerian staff.
“They said they wanted to reorganise. Is it only the expatriates that will do the reorganisation? All the over 2,000 expatriates from India were asked to continue with their jobs,” he stated.
Asked what action PENGASSAN would take, especially when Dangote already had a court injunction stopping any blockade, he replied that the union could picket the refinery or embark on a protest.
“We are only waiting for the National Executive Council,” he added.
Okugbawa stated that the association had told the affected workers to remain calm.
“We have engaged with the affected workers on Friday morning. We told them to remain steadfast; we are on top of the matter. We want to engage the other various stakeholders that are complaining as usual. We try to make people see reason, but if they don’t, we’ll use all the constitutionally given powers to do what we’ve got to do to make them see reason.
“In this Nigeria, you’re firing Nigerians and keeping expatriates to work – expatriates that are doing little or nothing compared to what Nigerians can do. Is that reorganisation? Let’s use our tongues to count our teeth,” he said.
Earlier in a statement, the scribe noted with sadness the termination of the workers’ jobs.
He claimed that the refinery chose to replace qualified Nigerians with over 2,000 Indians, many of whom lacked valid immigration documentation.
According to him, Section 7 of the Labour Act prohibits discrimination and ensures the right to fair treatment in the workplace, which the Dangote refinery violates.
“The dismissal of such a significant number of Nigerian workers without due consultation or any transparent justification contravenes the legal rights granted to all employees in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, we will not tolerate this blatant disregard for the rights of Nigerian workers, particularly in light of the existing provisions under the Trade Union Act, which enshrines the right of workers to organise and join trade unions. The recent organisation of these workers as members of PENGASSAN underscores their collective power and right to protection under the law,” he added.
He emphasised that such actions illustrated a troubling trend towards the marginalisation of Nigerian workers in favour of foreign labour, demanding accountability from employers.
PENGASSAN urged the management of the Dangote refinery to recall all terminated Nigerian workers.
“Failure to comply will leave us with no option but to commence exploring all sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the relevant labour laws. We stand resolute in our commitment to uphold the rights of Nigerian workers and will take all necessary legal actions open to us as an association to ensure that they are afforded the dignity and respect they deserve. We have scheduled an emergency National Executive Council meeting to direct the association on the way forward,” PENGASSAN stated.
Reacting, the refinery clarified that the workers who were sacked engaged in acts that affected the plant.
“The Dangote Petroleum Refinery wishes to clarify recent reports concerning the ongoing reorganisation within its facility. This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.
“The foregoing decision was taken in the best interest of the refinery as a result of intermittent cases of sabotage in the various units of the refinery with dire consequences on human life and related safety concerns,” Dangote said.
While saying it remained vigilant to its internal systems and vulnerabilities to ensure the long-term stability of the “strategic national asset”, Dangote said it was imperative to protect the refinery for the benefit of Nigerians, its partners across Africa, and the thousands of people whose livelihoods depended on it.
“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our petroleum refinery at present. Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talents through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process.”
The company stressed that it recognised and upheld internationally accepted labour principles, including the right of every worker to freely decide whether or not to join a union.
“Our commitment to workers’ rights is unwavering. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery exists to serve Nigerians, to strengthen Africa’s energy independence, and to create decent, sustainable jobs. We will continue to work in partnership with our employees, regulators, and stakeholders to uphold the highest standards of safety, transparency, and accountability,” the statement said.
The Dangote refinery was recently shut down by members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers over allegations that it did not allow its tanker drivers to unionise.
However, the refinery has since received a court order stopping unions from further blocking its facility.
The PUNCH
