The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has announced a nationwide strike beginning Monday, September 29, 2025, in protest against the alleged dismissal of more than 800 workers by the Dangote Refinery.
The decision was reached during an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Saturday, September 27, 2025. In a communiqué signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN said the workers were fired for joining the union — describing the action as a violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international conventions on workers’ rights.
The union further accused the refinery of replacing the affected staff with over 2,000 expatriates, mostly Indians, which it described as an affront to Nigerian workers.
“All members in operational areas are directed to withdraw services from Sunday, September 28, while a nationwide total strike will commence at 00:01 hours on Monday,” the communiqué stated. It also directed branches to cut off crude and gas supply to the refinery and instructed international oil companies to suspend feedstock deliveries to Dangote facilities.
In addition, the NEC declared that daily prayer vigils would hold until all sacked staff are reinstated. “An injury to one is an injury to all. No individual is greater than Nigeria,” it affirmed.
The industrial face-off follows weeks of rising tensions between the refinery and oil and gas unions over labour practices. The crisis deepened after Dangote management, in a letter dated September 24, accused some employees of sabotage that allegedly threatened the safe operation of the 650,000-barrel-per-day plant, leading to the mass termination, according to PENGASSAN.
While the union insists that about 800 Nigerians were affected, the refinery’s management has denied carrying out mass retrenchment, claiming instead that it is undergoing restructuring to enhance efficiency, with the majority of its workforce still Nigerian.
Industry stakeholders warn that PENGASSAN’s strike could disrupt activities at Africa’s largest refinery, triggering ripple effects across the downstream petroleum sector.
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