PENGASSAN threatens Dangote refinery after alleging 800 Nigerian workers were sacked for joining the union and replaced with foreign expatriates
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria claimed that the refinery sacked the workers on Thursday, replacing them with more than 2,000 Indian expatriates.
Also read: Dangote Refinery lays off Nigerian workers within 24 hours of joining PENGASSAN
The union described the move as discriminatory and a violation of labour rights.
General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa argued that the sackings coincided with workers completing their unionisation process under government directives.
He alleged that the mass termination was retaliation for the employees’ decision to join PENGASSAN.
“When the witch cries in the night and the baby dies in the morning, what do you expect? The workers joined us, and the next thing we saw was a dismissal letter,” he told journalists.
Okugbawa insisted that the association would pursue all constitutional avenues, including protests and possible legal action, if the workers were not recalled.
He also accused the company of favouring expatriates over qualified Nigerians, calling the action “a blatant disregard for fairness and the rule of law.”
In response, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery dismissed the allegations as misleading.
The management said the decision affected only a small number of workers, stressing that those dismissed had engaged in repeated acts of sabotage that posed safety risks to the facility.
“This is not arbitrary,” the company explained in a statement. “It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated sabotage.
Over 3,000 Nigerians remain actively employed with us, and we continue to recruit new talents.”
The refinery also affirmed its commitment to international labour principles, including the right to join trade unions, while maintaining that it must prioritise the safety and stability of what it described as a “strategic national asset.”
The refinery has faced earlier tensions with labour unions. Recently, members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers shut down its facility over tanker driver unionisation, before a court order halted further blockades.
The dispute between PENGASSAN and the Dangote refinery has raised wider concerns about the protection of Nigerian workers in strategic industries.
Also read: Nupeng-Dangote Feud: A rebutal to anti-labour tirate
For many, the outcome of this clash will test the country’s labour framework and the balance of power between local workers and corporate interests.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
