By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members to halt the supply of crude oil and gas to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery over alleged victimisation of workers who joined the union.
In a circular issued on Saturday and signed by the General Secretary, Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, the union ordered branch chairmen in oil and gas companies including TotalEnergies, Seplat and Shell Nigeria Gas to immediately enforce the directive.
PENGASSAN accused the management of Dangote Refinery of sacking workers for participating in union activities, describing the action as a violation of their rights to freedom of association.
“All crude oil supply valves to the refinery must be shut and gas supply halted without delay,” the memo read in part.
The association added that “any attempt to silence workers from freely associating with a union of their choice will be resisted using every legal and industrial means at our disposal.”
The move threatens to disrupt operations at the refinery, which is regarded as a major player in Nigeria’s downstream sector.
Reacting, the Fair Employment Rights Activists (FERA) dismissed PENGASSAN’s claims, insisting that the allegations of mass sack and replacement of Nigerian workers with expatriates were not backed by evidence.
“From our findings, the expatriates engaged at the refinery are duly documented and employed for specialised roles where local expertise is limited,” FERA stated.
The group further described the union’s directive as “economic sabotage” and urged both parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.
“While workers’ rights must be protected, shutting down crude and gas supply to a refinery of national importance is a reckless path that can hurt Nigeria’s economy more than it helps,” FERA warned.