PENGASSAN Vows Showdown With Dangote Refinery Over Alleged Mass Sack

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals over the alleged dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers who recently joined the union.

According to industry reports, the union accused the refinery of replacing the disengaged staff with over 2,000 Indian nationals, describing the action as discriminatory and a violation of labour rights.

In response, the refinery denied carrying out mass layoffs, stating that only a few employees were affected as part of a reorganisation to address cases of sabotage within the 650,000-barrels-per-day facility. Management explained that the restructuring was necessary to safeguard operations, citing safety concerns in several units of the refinery. The company also insisted that operations remained intact and assured unaffected staff they had no cause for fear.

Reacting to the development, PENGASSAN’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, alleged that the dismissals were a direct consequence of the workers’ decision to unionise. He disclosed that as of Thursday, more than 800 Nigerian employees had formally joined the association in line with directives from the Federal Government, only for management to issue termination letters shortly afterward.

Okugbawa claimed that while Nigerian staff were dismissed, expatriates—mostly from India—were retained, which he described as unjust and a major blow to local labour. He stated that the union was awaiting the decision of its National Executive Council before announcing its next line of action, but warned that PENGASSAN would not hesitate to mobilise protests or picketing if the refinery failed to reverse its stance.

He further stressed that the situation underscored the marginalisation of Nigerian workers, questioning the rationale behind keeping expatriates while laying off qualified citizens.