Refinery Crisis: PENGASSAN Blocks Oil, Accuses Dangote of Replacing Nigerians with Foreigners
Juliet Jacob 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s oil and gas sector has been thrown into fresh turmoil after the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) ordered a nationwide halt of crude oil and gas supply to the Dangote Refinery, accusing the company of mass sackings and foreign labour bias.
Following an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Sunday, PENGASSAN General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa alleged that “over 2,000 Indians” were recruited to take over jobs from dismissed Nigerian staff, calling the move a violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
“This is not only a violation of workers’ rights but an affront to all Nigerians,” the union declared, stressing that many of the dismissed workers were targeted for joining PENGASSAN.
The NEC directed members nationwide to cease all operations linked to the refinery immediately, warning that no intervention would be entertained “except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk.”
Okugbawa further vowed that the union would hold 24-hour prayer vigils until the government intervenes, declaring: “An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country.”
The industrial action escalates already mounting frictions between Dangote Refinery and oil sector unions. Only weeks ago, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) clashed with the refinery over workplace safety and labour rights.
As of press time, Dangote Refinery had not responded to the allegations or the strike action. The standoff now raises questions about Nigeria’s energy security at a time when the refinery is central to the government’s local refining strategy.
About the Author
Mirian Gom 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
