The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called for a nationwide suspension of operations starting Monday, September 29, 2025, in response to the reported termination of over 800 Nigerian employees by Dangote Refinery.
Following an urgent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Saturday, September 27, 2025, PENGASSAN issued a directive, signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, condemning the refinery for allegedly breaching Nigeria’s labor regulations, constitutional provisions, and International Labour Organisation standards. The union claims the dismissals targeted workers who joined its ranks.
According to the NEC, Dangote Refinery replaced the sacked Nigerian workers with “over 2,000 Indian employees,” a move the union labeled as a direct insult to Nigeria’s workforce. In response, PENGASSAN has ordered its members across all field operations to halt work starting at 6:00 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2025, and to engage in 24-hour prayer sessions. A complete shutdown of services across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies is set to begin at 12:01 AM on Monday.
The union’s directive stated: “All PENGASSAN members in field operations, including control room staff, panel operators, and outfield personnel, are to cease all activities effective 6:00 AM on Sunday, September 28, 2025. Starting Monday, September 29, 2025, at 12:01 AM, all members across all sectors are to withdraw services completely. No interventions will be permitted in field locations unless personnel or asset safety is at risk, and such actions must be cleared by the National Secretariat.”
The union further instructed that all gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery be immediately halted, with International Oil Companies (IOCs) directed to scale down gas production and supply to the refinery and its petrochemical operations.
PENGASSAN has also called for round-the-clock prayer vigils and urged the government to step in, vowing to sustain the strike until the dismissed workers are reinstated. The union emphasized, “An attack on one is an attack on all. No individual or entity stands above our nation.”
The conflict stems from a recent dispute with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, centered on labor rights and safety concerns. Reports indicate the tensions escalated when Dangote Refinery, in a letter dated September 24, 2025, announced the dismissal of employees, citing alleged sabotage that endangered the safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day facility. While PENGASSAN claims approximately 800 workers were sacked, the refinery has refuted allegations of mass terminations, asserting that it is undergoing an internal restructuring to enhance efficiency and that Nigerians remain the majority of its workforce.
The looming strike threatens to disrupt crude and gas supplies to the refinery, potentially impacting downstream operations across Nigeria’s oil sector. PENGASSAN has appealed to labor unions, government bodies, and stakeholders to address what it describes as a matter of “critical national importance.”
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