Many Nigerians have opposed the planned disruption of fuel supply nationwide following the strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in protest against the dismissal of some employees at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

This is just as the federal government has invited the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery to an emergency meeting in Abuja today over their dispute.

The Labour ministry’s spokesperson, Patience Onuobia, in a statement yesterday, said the Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi, appealed to the union to reconsider its planned strike, warning that it could have far-reaching consequences for the economy and national security.

“A strike will not only lead to heavy revenue losses by the country but also cause more hardship and difficulties for Nigerians. Consequently, it will have adverse impacts both on economic stability and national security.”

The rift between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery escalated over the weekend after the union accused the company of terminating the employment of hundreds of staff members who had joined the association.

The union claimed that the workers were being victimized for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of association and alleged that the refinery had replaced some of the dismissed staff with expatriates.

PENGASSAN, in a circular signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okungbowa, after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, directed members in all oil and gas installations nationwide to down tools from Sunday, September 28.

When contacted last night over the strike and the meeting by the FG, Okungbowa said the union would be part of the meeting on Monday but added that the association had made its position known.

Netizens tackle PENGASSAN, Dangote

Many citizens took to the social media yesterday to express their views on the dispute.

Ben Owoleke, a power sector expert, on X said PENGASAN does not have any gas. “The gas belongs to Nigerian Government, those union guys are just employees working for Nigeria to earn their wages. Only Nigerian government should stop gas supply to Dangote Refinery. Two, the gas supply to Dangote is not free. Whether sold by NNPCL or other oil companies, Dangote pays for it. Three, it is from the payment made by Dangote Refinery that Nigeria and other companies earn some of their revenues which they use as allocation for salaries across states and LGs, also to pay salaries including the salaries of some of these saboteurs and of course, to do infrastructure and other services!”

On X (formerly Twitter), @MrGhata said: “The best way to solve and dispute is by dialogue not by compounding the problem. PENGASSAN should look at the bigger picture, not their pockets.”

TomolaGroup: “The refinery drama in Nigeria keeps exposing the same problem. half-truths, blame games, and no accountability. Until transparency is prioritized, ordinary Nigerians will keep paying the price.”

@IamSpeacial_Kay: “We shouted monopoly would be a problem, now it’s playing out. When only one refinery holds all the power, the people have no choice but to suffer. This is the ugly face of monopoly when one man controls the market, the people pay the price.”

@thekanoblog: “Nigerians must open their eyes! Dangote’s refinery was supposed to bring relief, yet every time the people are close to breathing, forces within the government and their allies rise to frustrate it.

“Why is it that whenever progress comes for the masses, the powerful try to crush it? This is not about Dangote alone – this is about the deliberate punishment of ordinary Nigerians. We must demand accountability, because true leadership should protect the people, not sabotage their hope.”

@Sizzymirah: “Stop shifting post @DangoteGroup

You unlawfully sacked your staff for joining union. Didn’t you think of a Dialogue before taking such steps? Just stop this victim card you’re trying to play here. You think O&G is like other industries you can throw people out with poor welfare?”

On Facebook, Sajos Yusuf Illiya, said: “This problem would have long been solved if PENGASSAN were forward thinking. That much they enjoy from monopoly has been broken and they are refusing to evolve.”

Dagunduro Samuel: “Why would Dangote dismiss and sack the Nigerians’ staff simply for wanting to join a union? Don’t they have the right to belong to a union under Nigeria law?”

Taofik Tafa: “PENGASSAN, NUPENG, DAPPMAN, etc shouldn’t be allowed to ruin Dangote refinery the way they’ve ruined NNPC refineries.”

Jabes Simon: “They have a hiding motive towards this issue. Dangote can relocate to Iceland and live for 100 years without an issue. Why didn’t they shut down when ASUU was on strike? They’re not after Nigerians but rather their pockets.”

Consumers forum alleges sabotage

The Concerned Nigerian Consumers Forum yesterday asked the federal government and the Department of State Services to investigate the alleged attempts by the PENGASSAN to sabotage the Dangote Refinery.

In a statement yesterday by Olabisi Taiwo and Justice Alikor, president and secretary, respectively, the forum expressed concern over PENGASSAN’s threat to picket the refinery because of the alleged mass sackings.

It warned that such action could plunge the country back into scarcity of petroleum products, trigger economic instability and cause national embarrassment.

“Who benefits if the refinery fails?” the forum asked. “Certainly not the Nigerian people, but fuel importers and rent seekers who profit from chaos,” the forum stated.

“The government must send a clear message: industrial blackmail will not be tolerated.

“Nigerians have suffered enough from fuel queues and economic hardship. The Dangote refinery is our best chance at energy independence, and we must not allow vested interests to destroy it,” the forum said.

Tanker drivers hit PENGASSAN

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG also yesterday accused the PENGASSAN leadership of overstepping its mandate and attempting to undermine the historic gains of the Dangote Refinery.

In a statement by Obi-Dede Wonder on behalf of PTD elders, the drivers described PENGASSAN’s strike threat as “empty, mischievous and irrelevant.”

“PENGASSAN’s lamentation that Dangote sacked qualified Nigerians and replaced them with over 2,000 Indians—many allegedly without valid immigration papers—is not only false but a shameful blackmail tactic. Since when did PENGASSAN assume the role of immigration authorities to profile foreigners in Nigeria?” PTD queried.

Reacting, Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale, National President and General Secretary of PENGASSAN respectively, in a statement last night, said the PTD was unknown to its constitution.

They alleged that certain forces, whom they described as “unconscionable capitalists with filthy wealth,” were behind the faceless group to deceive, manipulate, mislead and create confusion within the oil and gas sector and the wider public.

Lawyers speak

Lawyers have asked Dangote refinery and the PENGASSAN to resolve their dispute without impacting the economy negatively.

Abeny Mohammed, SAN, in a chat with Daily Trust, said suggestions that the union could shut down fuel and gas flow supply was an extreme and punitive measure that could offend the law.

“There are other ways that after their members are not taken back, they can go to court, such as an industrial court which can make an order to take back the worker, and once that is done, Dangote is bound to comply with the order,” he said.

Mike Ozekhome, SAN, said there should a middle ground for the resolution of the impasse between the constitutional right to assembly and association, which means unionism, and the binding agreement between employers and employees where the latter ought to have undertaken to abide by the rules and regulations of the firm.

“So, it is a middle point, one is constitutional, the other is employment-based. The reason they must all meet to find a common solution in the middle. I believe that is the way to go,” he said.

The Director of the School of Socio-Political Thought, Professor Sam Amadi, said downing tools or shutting supply stations are part of industrial action where the workers primarily operate the facilities.

He added that where they abandon work and the government takes over operation of the platforms, the union would have no right to shut them down.

Maintaining that the union must act within the law, he said “downing tool is usually the last option before going to court.”

Long standing dispute

The dispute had been brewing since September 24 when Dangote Refinery issued dismissal letters to certain employees, citing alleged sabotage that threatened the operational safety of the multibillion-dollar facility.

PENGASSAN had countered that the company used sabotage as a cover to punish union members, insisting that at least 800 workers were affected.

Dangote Refinery had denied carrying out a mass sack, clarifying that only a small number of staff had been released as part of an internal reorganization to improve efficiency.

In a statement, the company insisted that the majority of its workforce remained Nigerians and dismissed claims that thousands of expatriates had been hired to replace locals.

GenCos decry nationwide blackout

On Sunday, the Association of Power Generating Companies (APGC) warned that Nigeria faced an imminent nationwide blackout if gas supply to thermal power stations was cut off in compliance with PENGASSAN’s strike order.

The Executive Secretary of APGC, Joy Ogaji, said gas suppliers had already issued notices to thermal plants to shut down, which would leave hydroelectric stations struggling to sustain the national grid.

“Thermal GenCos have received notification from our gas suppliers to shut down our thermal power plants following directives from PENGASSAN. The Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company has specifically requested GenCos to comply,” Ogaji said in a message to stakeholders.

Industry experts warn that thermal power stations, which account for more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s electricity supply, cannot be replaced by hydroelectric dams without triggering massive outages and raising the risk of a total system collapse.

Experts caution against disruption

Wumi Iledare, Professor Emeritus of Petroleum Economics, in an interview with Daily Trust yesterday, said while the PENGASSAN has every right to defend the interests of its members, the decision to shut down control room operations, gas supplies and refinery inputs carries profound economic and social consequences.

He stated that in the petroleum industry, a stoppage is not a simple switch-off but it destabilizes systems, shrinks government’s revenue, triggers product shortages and undermines investor confidence.

He noted that Nigeria’s petroleum economy cannot afford repeated shocks as strikes in critical energy infrastructure act like an invisible tax on the nation, raising costs for everyone and discouraging badly needed investment.

Prof. Dayo Ayoade mni, Energy Law expert at the University of Lagos, said the PENGASSAN’s action showed they had turned into a cabal and their continuous action spells doom to the petroleum sector if left unchecked by the federal government.

“Why will investors come to the country when one of the biggest private local investors is having a faceoff with the unions. The silence of the government is also worrisome as no one knows what the monies these unions collect are used for.”

He urged the government to intervene as investors are studying the situation which might put them off from investing in the country’s petroleum sector.

Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, Dr. Muda Yusuf, in a chat with Daily Trust, said the planned strike by PENGASSAN “is a major threat to energy security, it sends a very bad signal to energy investors, its legality also needs to be interrogated, because disputes between employers and employees are not new, disputes with labour union are not new but there are processes for resolving disputes, there is no evidence that those processes have been exhausted by PENGASSAN.

“I am aware that the Ministry of Labour always mediates in issues like this, I am aware that we have the National industrial court that also intervenes in matters like this. I am not sure all these have been exhausted, so for PENGASSAN to go to the extreme of going to cut off gas and crude supply, I think it bothers on impunity because in all things there are boundaries, we need to define boundaries for the union just as you can define boundaries for the investors.

NISO warns of grid collapse

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has warned that the ongoing dispute between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN could jeopardize the stability of the national power grid.

In a statement yesterday, NISO said gas-fired thermal power stations, which provide the bulk of Nigeria’s electricity supply, were at risk of shutting down following the strike declared by PENGASSAN.

“NISO wishes to draw attention to the potential implications of this action on the nation’s power sector. The national grid relies heavily on gas-fired generation, and any sustained disruption in gas supply would constrain generation capacity, affect system operations, and undermine the stability and reliability of electricity supply across the country,” it stated.

It urged both parties to embrace dialogue and lawful mechanisms of dispute resolution in the interest of the economy and the wellbeing of Nigerians.

NANS seeks end to hostilities against Dangote Refinery

The president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Olushola Oladoja, yesterday urged stakeholders in oil and gas sector to end hostilities against the Dangote Refinery in the interest of national development.

Oladoja, in a statement, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication currently in circulation by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). This development has become a matter of concern to us at the national level of NANS.

“Any patriotic Nigerian who truly cares about the growth and stability of our national economy must be compelled to ask critical questions regarding the continued face-off between various parastatals and sectors and the Dangote Refinery.

“Is it not worrisome that since the refinery commenced full operations, different associations such as the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have engaged in one form of face-off or another with the Dangote Refinery?

TUC mobilises for action

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, in a statement yesterday by its General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, said it condemned “the recent anti-worker actions of the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, particularly the unjust termination of workers for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of association and unionization.

“Such actions amount to a direct assault on Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and on Nigeria’s obligations under International Labour Organization conventions.”

The TUC placed its affiliates nationwide on standby for a general strike if the demands were not met, stressing that no corporation, regardless of size or wealth, would be allowed to trample on the dignity and rights of Nigerian workers.

“We stand in full solidarity with the affected workers and with their union, our affiliate PENGASSAN, whose members have been victimized merely for declaring membership,” the statement added.

Our refinery a national asset – Dangote

The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery yesterday, in a statement, said the resolve by the PENGASSAN to “bully tactics could not justify the threat to the lives of persons, including infants and aged persons who need the petroleum products and attendant necessities for their life-support systems in the hospitals, in care homes and the Nigerian workers whose lives and livelihood are to be put at risk with the strike.”

It called on the federal government and its agencies as well as all Nigerians, to stare down PENGASSAN and put a stop to the “machinations and blackmail tactics of its oligarchs and sponsors.”

It stated: “Dangote Refinery is a national asset that must be protected by the Nigerian State and its people. It must not be threatened by the PENGASSAN oligarchs and their co-travelers. The threatened action by the association against Dangote Refinery threatens the economic recovery and energy security of Nigeria.

“We must not allow the association and its co-conspirators to sabotage and imperil the economic recovery and energy security of the country. The economic recovery of Nigeria must not be derailed and/or reversed by PENGASSAN.”

NUPRC calls for dialogue

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, in a statement yesterday, advised parties in the dispute to embrace dialogue in resolving the issues.

He said, “Regardless of the fact that the issues involved are purely mid and downstream affairs, our take is that parties should refrain from what will cause disruption in energy supply in the country. (Daily Trust)