The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered its members to immediately suspend gas and crude oil supply to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
In a letter signed on Friday by its General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery’s management of disengaging unionised workers and engaging in “misinformation and propaganda” rather than addressing the union’s concerns through meaningful dialogue.
PENGASSAN directed all its branch chairmen—particularly those in the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC)—to ensure an immediate cutoff of gas supply to the refinery. The directive also extended to halting all crude oil supply valves and suspending vessel loading operations destined for the facility.
Key upstream and midstream operators, including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, and NGIC, were specifically instructed to comply without delay.
According to the union, the action is a necessary step to defend the constitutional rights of workers to freely unionise without fear of victimisation.
The Dangote Group, however, has denied allegations of mass layoffs, stating that only a limited number of employees were affected to safeguard refinery operations from potential sabotage. The company added that over 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the facility and reiterated that employees are free to join or abstain from union membership.
