Following the controversy that trailed the re-engagement of some sacked workers of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the Dangote Group has clarified that the redeployment of the workers to various states across Nigeria was part of the company’s broader strategy to strengthen operations at its project sites.

The Vice-President, Oil and Gas at Dangote Group, Mr. Edwin Devakumar, disclosed this against the backdrop of the controversy trailing the redeployment of the sacked staff who were re-engaged as part of the agreement with the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENSASSAN).

PENGASSAN had embarked on an industrial action following a reorganization carried out by the Dangote Group over alleged sabotage of its operation with no fewer than 800 workers who are members of PENGASSAN affected.

The Federal Government had intervened in the strike which lasted for three days and disrupted oil and gas production in addition to causing a significant drop in power supply. The refinery was asked to re-employ the sacked workers and redeploy them to other subsidiaries within the Dangote Group.

It was learnt that the refinery has implemented the agreement by re-employing the engineers.

However, their redeployment to Maiduguri in Borno State; Zamfara, Benue, among other states outside from Lagos has been generating ripples amidst allegations of victimization.

But speaking with Daily Trust yesterday on the sideline of the tour of the refinery by some Abuja-based Editors facilitated by Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Igali, Devakumar clarified that the redeployment exercise was not an act of victimization, as some had alleged, but rather a strategic move to place them where the company currently has active projects fully owned and managed by the group.

Besides he reiterated that there was nothing like victimization when it was glaring that those workers sabotaged the refinery’s operations.

He said, “We are encouraging all our local professionals to move to our project sites — to Maiduguri, Zamfara, Benue, Sokoto, Kaduna, Bayelsa, and other places.

“For instance, we have rice projects in Sokoto, Kogi, and Zamfara; concrete road projects in Maiduguri, Kaduna Bypass, and Bayelsa; and a coal mining project in Benue. We are simply moving our people to where we have ongoing operations.”

Devakumar clarified that while some subsidiaries of the Dangote Group, such as the salt and sugar companies, are public limited companies (PLCs) with their own salary structures and management systems, the redeployed workers are being absorbed into project companies wholly owned by the group.

“These project companies are 100% owned by us, and that allows us to manage them directly while ensuring that salaries are protected.

“No one has had their pay reduced. Even when some teams stopped work around the third week of September, we continued paying their salaries.”

800 new Engineers to replace redeployed workers

Devakumar also confirmed that 400 new engineers have already joined the refinery, with another 400 set to come on board soon.

The move, he said, follows the redeployment of certain personnel in “critical areas” where the management had detected acts of sabotage.

“We had to move some people where we noticed issues of sabotage. The new engineers are coming in to fill those gaps,” he stated.

“We are conducting more stringent background checks and have already begun their training.”

The Dangote VP disclosed that the company has partnered with UOP (Universal Oil Products), a U.S.-based refinery technology firm, to provide intensive training for the new engineers.

“We are bringing in simulators, just like those used to train aircraft pilots, so that our engineers can learn and practice without risk,” he said, adding, “Once the simulators arrive, the training process will become even more effective.”

Devakumar emphasized that the redeployment and recruitment initiatives are part of the company’s broader strategy to ensure operational excellence across its diverse industrial and infrastructure projects nationwide. (Daily Trust)