Dangote Refinery Accuses PENGASSAN Of ‘Lies, Terror Tactics’ Over Planned Nationwide Strike

The management of Dangote Refinery has accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of spreading falsehoods and unleashing what it described as “terror tactics” in order to achieve its nationwide strike action.

Recall that PENGASSAN, in a directive issued on Saturday, September 27, 2025, ordered its members to withdraw services across the country. The union instructed oil and gas workers to cut crude and gas supply to Dangote Refinery and halt operations in all companies, institutions, and agencies from Sunday, September 28.

The union justified the action by alleging that Dangote Refinery had sacked over 800 Nigerian workers for joining PENGASSAN, and replaced them with more than 2,000 Indian workers. It said the strike was necessary to defend Nigerian employees and stop what it described as exploitation.

But, in a statement titled ‘Lawless PENGASSAN: It’s lies and terror tactics,’ released on Sunday evening, September 28, 2025, and posted on its official Facebook page, Dangote Refinery rejected the allegations, describing them as “complete falsehood” and an attempt to sabotage Nigeria’s energy security.

According to the company, more than 3,000 Nigerians remained employed in the refinery, continuously recruiting through graduate trainee schemes and experienced hire programs. It admitted that an internal restructuring led to “a very small number” of staff being discharged but insisted the exercise was not arbitrary.

“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our petroleum refinery,” the statement read. “We continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our graduate trainee programs and experienced hire recruitment process. The ongoing reorganisation has affected only a very small number of staff, and the exercise is not arbitrary but in the best interest of the refinery.”

The company accused PENGASSAN of prioritising politics over people’s welfare, warning that the strike action would disrupt the supply of essential fuels.

“Would that justify holding over 230 million Nigerians to ransom by cutting off their essential supplies of kerosene, cooking gas, petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel? Would that justify threatening the lives of infants and aged persons who need petroleum products for life-support systems in hospitals and care homes?” it asked.

Dangote refinery also accused the union of having a track record of frustrating reforms in the oil and gas industry.

The statement recalled that in 2007, PENGASSAN and its ally, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), opposed the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries to Blue Star Consortium, a deal led by the Dangote Group. The company said hindsight had vindicated the sale, while the unions “wrote their names on the wrong pages of history.”

“When in 2007 the Federal Government sold its moribund refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna to Blue Star Consortium led by Dangote Group at US$750million, it was this same bully Association, PENGASSAN and its co-travellers of whom is the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (“NUPENG”), that vociferously sabotaged the process. It is now obvious to everyone that the FGN’s decision at the time was the right one and that PENGASSAN and NUPENG ignominiously wrote their names on the wrong pages of history,” the statement read.

It further alleged that PENGASSAN supported the “purported rehabilitation” of Port Harcourt Refinery, which Nigerians later discovered to be a failed project. The refinery also faulted the union’s opposition to amendments of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which would have allowed the government to restructure joint venture assets and attract private investment.

“More recently, PENGASSAN, with its co-travellers loudly celebrated the purported rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery. Nigerians now know that the purported rehabilitation was a ruse and that PENGASSAN was knowingly celebrating a scam on Nigerians. PENGASSAN has also been in the forefront of opposing the amendment of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 in a manner that would allow the Federal Government to restructure the equity holdings of some of its upstream Joint Venture assets and thereby provide much-needed liquidity for the Government while injecting private-sector funding and expertise for the management of the assets. This is reminiscent of the inglorious role of the same PENGASSAN and its allies in aborting the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries in 2007.”

The refinery challenged PENGASSAN to account for workers’ contributions, alleging misuse of funds.

“Apart from feeding the lavish lifestyles of the Association’s oligarchs, what has PENGASSAN been doing with the monthly check-off dues and subscriptions of its members, which run into billions of Naira?” the statement asked.

By contrast, it pointed to its own record of corporate responsibility, including road construction, worker training, and significant contributions to Nigeria’s tax revenues. Dangote further demanded that PENGASSAN and NUPENG publish their last 10 years of audited accounts within seven days “or permanently bury their heads in shame.”

The company urged the federal government and security agencies to step in and prevent disruptions to fuel supply.

“No association, not even PENGASSAN, is bigger than our country. An injury to Dangote Refinery is an injury to all Nigerians,” the statement said.

It warned that PENGASSAN’s planned strike action threatens Nigeria’s fragile economic recovery and energy security and insisted that the refinery, as a national asset, must be protected.