The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has issued a threat to picket the Dangote refinery following allegations that 800 workers were dismissed after joining the association.
According to the union, over 2,000 Indian expatriates were employed by the company to replace the sacked Nigerian workers on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the Dangote refinery maintained that only a limited number of its staff were dismissed due to persistent sabotage.
In a statement released on Friday, the refinery’s management stated that the dismissals were part of an ongoing internal restructuring, which became imperative to protect the facility from recurrent sabotage incidents.
Earlier on Friday, a letter had appeared on social media, claiming that “all staff” had been dismissed due to sabotage.
The letter, titled “Reorganisation” and addressed to all refinery staff on Thursday, 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.”
However, PENGASSAN’s leadership contended that the real reason behind the dismissals was the workers’ decision to join the union.
The association’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, alleged that 800 employees were terminated due to their membership in PENGASSAN.
“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 who will do the reorganisation? All the over 2,000 expatriates from India were asked to continue with their jobs,” he said in an interview with our correspondent.
When asked about the union’s planned response, particularly given that Dangote had obtained a court injunction barring any blockades, he responded that the union might still picket the refinery or initiate a protest.
“We are only waiting for the National Executive Council,” he added.
Okugbawa explained that the union had spoken to the affected staff members earlier on Friday morning.
“We have engaged with the affected workers on Friday morning. We told them to remain steadfast; we are on top of the matter. We want to engage the other various stakeholders who are complaining as usual. We try to make people see reason, but if they don’t, we’ll use all the constitutionally given powers to do what we’ve got to do to make them see reason. 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 stated.
In an earlier statement, the union’s scribe expressed disappointment over the termination of the employees.
He asserted that the refinery had chosen to substitute skilled Nigerian personnel with over 2,000 Indian nationals, many of whom he claimed did not have valid immigration documentation.
According to him, “Section 7 of the Labour Act” prohibits workplace discrimination and guarantees the right to fair treatment—rights which he argued had been violated by the Dangote refinery.
“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, particularly in light of the existing provisions under the Trade Union Act, which enshrines the right of workers to organise and join trade unions. The recent organisation of these workers as members of PENGASSAN underscores their collective power and right to protection under the law,” he added.
He stressed that the incident indicated a worrying trend of marginalising Nigerian labour in favour of foreign workers, and he demanded accountability from employers.
PENGASSAN called on the management of the Dangote refinery to reinstate all dismissed Nigerian workers.
“Failure to comply will leave us with no option but to commence exploring all sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the relevant labour laws. We stand resolute in our commitment to uphold the rights of Nigerian workers and will take all necessary legal actions open to us as an association to ensure that they are afforded the dignity and respect they deserve. We have scheduled an emergency National Executive Council meeting to direct the association on the way forward,” the association declared.
Responding, the refinery stated that those dismissed were involved in activities that negatively impacted operations.
“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.
“The foregoing decision was taken in the best interest of the refinery as a result of intermittent cases of sabotage in the various units of the refinery with dire consequences on human life and related safety concerns,” the company said.
The refinery stated that it remained alert to internal vulnerabilities and that maintaining stability was essential for the long-term operation of the “strategic national asset”.
“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 emphasised that it respects and upholds global labour standards, including employees’ freedom to choose union membership.
“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 company stated.
Recently, the refinery was temporarily shut down by members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, who accused it of barring tanker drivers from joining the union.
However, a court injunction has since been obtained by the refinery to prevent further blockades by the unions.
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