By John Umeh
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has announced a sweeping withdrawal of services by its members across the country, effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2025.
In a communique issued after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday, the union also instructed its members in field locations — including control rooms, panel operations, and outfield duties — to down tools from 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, and to begin a 24-hour prayer session for intervention.
PENGASSAN said its decision followed what it described as “gross anti-labour practices” at Dangote Refinery, accusing the company of sacking more than 800 Nigerian workers who joined the union and replacing them with 2,000 foreign employees.
In the statement signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the association condemned the refinery’s actions as “a brazen violation” of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
“The notoriety for enslaving Nigerian workers and replacing them with foreign labour at taxpayers’ expense is unacceptable. No company or individual is above the law,” the statement read.
As part of the resolutions, PENGASSAN directed that all gas and crude supply operations feeding the Dangote Refinery be stopped immediately. It also ordered its branches within International Oil Companies (IOCs) to scale down production and suspend gas supply to the refinery and its petrochemical plants.
According to the union, the mass layoff has left hundreds of families stranded and risks setting “a dangerous precedent” in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The association urged national institutions to hold the refinery accountable, insisting that “no man is bigger than our country.”
The union further called on members to pray for courage for the authorities to act decisively, signalling a tense standoff that could disrupt supply chains and impact the nation’s fuel and gas distribution.
