By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members nationwide to stop work following the dismissal of over 800 Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery.
The directive came after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council on Saturday, 27 September 2025. In a circular signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution and international labour conventions.
According to the NEC, those dismissed were replaced with “over 2,000 Indians,” a move the union described as an insult to Nigerian workers.
To enforce its position, PENGASSAN instructed members in field locations to withdraw services from 06:00 on Sunday, 28 September 2025, while a full nationwide strike is to commence at 00:01 on Monday, 29 September 2025.
The circular stated:
“All PENGASSAN members working across field locations are to withdraw services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, 28 September 2025 and commence 24-hour prayers. This includes all control room operations, panel operations, and outfield personnel.”
“All PENGASSAN members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies should withdraw all services effective 00:01 on Monday, 29th of September, 2025.”
“No intervention whatsoever will be entertained across field locations except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk; such clearance must be obtained from the National Secretariat.”
“All processes that involve gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should be let off effectively immediately, All IOC branches must ramp down gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery and petrochemicals.”
The union further declared 24-hour prayer sessions and appealed to the government to step in, stressing that the strike would continue until the affected workers are reinstated.
The dispute began after Dangote Refinery, in a letter dated 24 September 2025, claimed certain staff were dismissed for acts of sabotage that threatened the operational safety of its 650,000-barrel-per-day plant.
While PENGASSAN maintains that about 800 workers were removed, the refinery denies any mass sack, insisting the move was part of an internal restructuring aimed at efficiency. The company also emphasised that the majority of its workforce remains Nigerian.
If fully carried out, the strike is expected to disrupt the refinery’s operations and affect downstream supply chains.