Dangote Moves Fired Refinery Engineers To Sugar And Cement Plants Amid Sabotage Claims

According to Ireporter Online, the Dangote Group is set to redeploy engineers recently dismissed from its refinery to other subsidiaries within its operations, including its sugar and cement plants. The move follows the company’s decision to part ways with some refinery staff accused of acts considered to undermine the refinery’s operations after joining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

Insiders disclosed that while the company has no objection to employees exercising their right to unionize, allegations of sabotage and the release of sensitive information to external parties could not be overlooked. As a result, Dangote Group opted to redeploy rather than permanently disengage the affected staff.

The company is also expected to recruit new engineers to fill the positions left vacant at the refinery. Sources revealed that some of the workers may be transferred to Dangote facilities outside Nigeria, as part of efforts to retain their expertise within the group.

Industry watchers described the move as a significant loss to the refinery, stressing that many of the affected employees were among the first set of Nigerian engineers to participate in the commissioning of such a large-scale project. They had been trained abroad and brought into the system at an early stage, gaining rare and invaluable hands-on experience.

A senior official within the group emphasized that while the redeployment was painful, especially given the investment made in training the engineers, protecting the integrity of the refinery remained paramount. “These young professionals were prospects with bright futures. The company invested heavily in them, but in an environment like a refinery, errors and sabotage cannot be tolerated,” the source noted.

It was further revealed that some of the engineers had already been approached by foreign companies owing to their proven skills and exposure. Nevertheless, Dangote Group assured that the redeployment process is underway and would be completed soon, with the affected workers expected to resume new roles across the conglomerate’s diverse business operations.