Nigeria’s energy sector is bracing for major disruption as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) announced a nationwide strike in protest against Dangote Refinery. The union accused the company of unlawfully terminating the employment of more than 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with thousands of foreign nationals, a decision it described as a blatant attack on the dignity of Nigerian labour and a violation of workers’ rights.
Following an emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Saturday, September 27, 2025, the union directed its members to begin withdrawing services in phases. Workers in field operations were ordered to down tools from 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, while a total shutdown across all offices, institutions, companies, and agencies is scheduled to begin from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29. The circular, signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, warned that all control room activities, panel operations, and field duties would be suspended nationwide, with a directive also issued to immediately cut off crude oil and gas supply to Dangote Refinery.
PENGASSAN argued that the refinery’s action violated not only Nigeria’s labour laws and Constitution but also international conventions of the International Labour Organisation. The union further alleged that more than 2,000 Indian workers had been brought in to replace the sacked staff, calling the decision “an insult to the Nigerian workforce.” The NEC added that prayer vigils would accompany the strike, insisting the action would not end until every affected worker was reinstated, declaring: “An injury to one is an injury to all. No individual is bigger than our country.”
Management of Dangote Refinery has denied carrying out mass retrenchments. In its response, the company explained that it was undergoing an internal restructuring exercise aimed at improving efficiency and insisted that the majority of its employees remain Nigerians. The dispute began when the refinery, in a letter dated September 24, 2025, directed the dismissal of certain staff members over alleged sabotage that management claimed threatened the operational safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day facility.
The ongoing standoff between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery could have far-reaching consequences. If the strike is fully implemented, it risks choking crude and gas supplies to the multibillion-dollar plant and may trigger wider disruptions across downstream petroleum operations nationwide. The association has called on government authorities, labour unions, and key stakeholders to intervene, stressing that the matter is of urgent national importance. This latest clash also comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute between Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers over labour rights and workplace safety concerns, further highlighting the growing tensions within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.