Dangote Refinery came out swinging on Sunday, accusing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of holding the nation hostage with a strike that could choke off fuel supplies. The refinery called the union’s tactics “terrorism” after PENGASSAN told its members to halt crude and gas deliveries to the plant and shut down oil operations nationwide starting Monday.
The union’s Saturday night directive, following an emergency meeting, claimed Dangote sacked over 800 Nigerian workers for joining PENGASSAN and replaced them with 2,000 Indian hires, violating labor laws. They ordered workers to walk off field jobs at 6 a.m. Sunday, fully stop operations by midnight Monday, and cut gas from international oil companies to the refinery. PENGASSAN demanded the workers’ reinstatement, backed by 24-hour prayer vigils and a call for government action.
Dangote fired back, saying the mass-sacking claims are lies. They insisted only a small number of staff were let go in a routine reshuffle, with over 3,000 Nigerians still on the payroll. “Even if some were fired for union ties, does that justify cutting off petrol, diesel, kerosene, and cooking gas for 230 million people?” the refinery’s statement asked. They accused PENGASSAN of a history of blocking oil sector reforms, like the 2007 refinery privatizations and Petroleum Industry Act changes, and challenged the union to show 10 years of audited accounts for its dues. Dangote urged the government and security forces to protect the refinery, calling it a “national asset” too big to be bullied.
The clash kicked off after a September 24 refinery letter warned of sabotage risks at the 650,000-barrel-per-day plant. PENGASSAN’s partial shutdown is already underway, and the Trade Union Congress has joined in, demanding jobs restored and an apology. Former Senator Shehu Sani pushed for talks, noting Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi’s planned Monday meeting, while the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission begged for quick negotiations to avoid a wider crisis.
On X, people are rattled—posts from users like @Akanbi_Semilore show early fuel queues, and @Ishaku__Audu shared news clips. With the strike hitting today, September 29, fears of shortages and price spikes are spreading fast in Nigeria’s already fragile fuel market.
