Tensions at the Dangote Refinery are rising, and Nigeria’s oil unions are closing ranks.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has thrown its weight behind the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in challenging alleged anti-labour practices at Africa’s biggest refinery.
Ultimatum To Dangote
In a strongly worded statement, General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa warned that if the deadlock continues, PENGASSAN will join NUPENG to shut down operations.
He declared, “We will not stand by while management tramples on workers’ rights,” making clear that strike action remains the union’s last resort to defend its members.
Workers’ Rights At Stake
The clash began when refinery chairman Aliko Dangote insisted that drivers recruited to operate 10,000 new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks could not join any union.
NUPENG immediately condemned his position, calling it a direct assault on freedom of association, a right guaranteed under Nigeria’s constitution and protected by international labour conventions.
Meanwhile, PENGASSAN accused refinery management of blocking unionisation since the plant’s inception.
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The union emphasised that it had tried diplomacy but management ignored every appeal.
Therefore, it warned that the continued denial of workers’ rights would meet stiff resistance and spark consequences across the oil and gas industry.
Both unions now argue that the right to organise forms the backbone of fairness, safety, and dignity at work.
With one voice, they insist that if Dangote refuses to shift ground, they will grind refinery operations to a halt.
