The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members to immediately shut down the supply of gas and crude to Dangote Refinery across the country.
This move escalates a labor dispute following the dismissal of hundreds of Nigerian workers by the refinery’s management.
According to PENGASSAN General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, crude oil supply valves to the refinery should be shut, and loading operations for vessels headed there should be halted immediately. “Crude oil supply valves to the refinery should be shut. The loading operation for vessels headed there should be halted immediately,” Okugbawa said in the directive.
The dispute adds to mounting pressure on the $20 billion refinery, which announced it would suspend petrol sales in naira due to crude supply shortfalls and foreign exchange mismatches. PENGASSAN accused Dangote management of “misinformation and propaganda” instead of addressing the alleged wrongful disengagement of unionized employees.
PENGASSAN’s directive comes days after Dangote Refinery laid off Nigerian workers, allegedly replacing them with foreign nationals, mostly from India. The company said the dismissals were part of a reorganization aimed at improving safety and operational efficiency. However, PENGASSAN described the refinery’s decision to terminate workers for exercising their right to unionize as “illegitimate” and laced with “propaganda and misinformation”.
The union asked all branch chairmen to promptly report on the progress of the directive, reiterating its long-standing slogan: “Injury to one, injury to all.” This move signals a coordinated shutdown that could disrupt fuel supplies in Africa’s most populous country.
Dangote Refinery condemned PENGASSAN’s plan, describing it as a “brazen display of lawlessness and criminality”. The company emphasized that the union’s directive could halt production and supply of critical fuels across the country, affecting aviation fuel, petrol, kerosene, diesel, and cooking gas.
The refinery also warned that the PENGASSAN directive would impact its contribution to the revenue purse of the Nigerian government. As the situation unfolds, the fate of the refinery and the impact on Nigeria’s fuel supply remain uncertain.
