The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket the Dangote Petroleum Refinery following the alleged dismissal of 800 Nigerian workers who recently joined the union.
According to PENGASSAN, over 2,000 Indian nationals have been recruited to replace the sacked workers.
The refinery, however, dismissed the allegation, insisting that only a small number of employees were let go in what it described as an ongoing reorganisation aimed at addressing “repeated acts of sabotage.”
A letter, titled “Reorganisation” and addressed to staff on Thursday, had earlier surfaced on social media. It partly read:
“In view of the many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the petroleum refinery leading to major safety concerns, the management is constrained to carry out a total reorganisation of the plant.
As a consequence of this development, we wish to inform you that your services are no longer required, with effect from the eve of Thursday, the 25th of September, 2025.
“Please surrender all the company’s properties in your possession to your line manager and obtain an exit clearance accordingly, but the date for doing so will be communicated to you later.”
PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, however, said the mass dismissal was linked to unionisation efforts.
“When the witch cries in the night and the baby dies in the morning, what do you expect?
“In the letter, they didn’t say it was because they joined the union. But as of Thursday, the workers actually completed the process of unionisation as directed by the Federal Government.
“So, over 800 agreed to join the union. The management went to do headcounts, and they found out that these guys voluntarily joined; the next thing we saw was the (sack) letter, firing all Nigerian staff.
“They said they wanted to reorganise. Is it only the expatriates that will do the reorganisation? All the over 2,000 expatriates from India were asked to continue with their jobs,” Okugbawa alleged.
He added that PENGASSAN was considering a protest or picketing despite an existing court injunction stopping unions from blocking the refinery.
“We are only waiting for the National Executive Council,” he said.
Okugbawa told affected workers to remain calm: “We have engaged with the affected workers on Friday morning. We told them to remain steadfast; we are on top of the matter… In this Nigeria, you’re firing Nigerians and keeping expatriates to work – expatriates that are doing little or nothing compared to what Nigerians can do. Is that reorganisation? Let’s use our tongues to count our teeth.”
He further condemned the move as discriminatory, citing Section 7 of the Labour Act and the Trade Union Act.
“The dismissal of such a significant number of Nigerian workers without due consultation or any transparent justification contravenes the legal rights granted to all employees in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, we will not tolerate this blatant disregard for the rights of Nigerian workers… The recent organisation of these workers as members of PENGASSAN underscores their collective power and right to protection under the law.”
The union demanded the immediate recall of the dismissed workers, warning that failure to comply would force it to explore “all sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the relevant labour laws.”
Responding, Dangote Petroleum Refinery insisted that the exercise was targeted at addressing sabotage and safety concerns, not unionisation.
“The Dangote Petroleum Refinery wishes to clarify recent reports concerning the ongoing reorganisation within its facility. This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.
“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our petroleum refinery at present. Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talents through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process.”
The company stressed that it upholds workers’ rights.
“Our commitment to workers’ rights is unwavering. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery exists to serve Nigerians, to strengthen Africa’s energy independence, and to create decent, sustainable jobs. We will continue to work in partnership with our employees, regulators, and stakeholders to uphold the highest standards of safety, transparency, and accountability.”
The refinery has recently faced tension with labour unions. Earlier this month, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers shut down the plant over claims that tanker drivers were barred from unionising.
Dangote later secured a court order restraining further blockades.
