The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services following the sack of over 800 workers at Dangote Refinery for allegedly joining the union.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by the General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Ighótemu Okugbawa, PENGASSAN condemned what it described as “an affront to all Nigerian workers and a deliberate violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international labour conventions.”
The union accused Dangote Refinery of replacing the dismissed Nigerian staff with more than 2,000 foreign nationals, mainly Indians, despite enjoying significant government incentives and support at taxpayers’ expense. PENGASSAN described the development as “modern-day enslavement” and warned that it sets a dangerous precedent for the oil and gas sector.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of PENGASSAN, after an emergency meeting, directed all members working in field locations to withdraw services from 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, while members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies are to shut down operations effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.
“All processes that involve gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should cease with immediate effect,” the statement declared, adding that International Oil Company (IOC) branches must also ramp down gas production and supply to the refinery and petrochemical facilities.
The union emphasized that no intervention will be entertained during the industrial action except where safety of personnel and assets is at risk, subject to clearance from the national secretariat.
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PENGASSAN further called on government authorities to act decisively, insisting that “no man or company, no matter how highly placed, is above the law.”
The union concluded with a rallying call: “An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country.”
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