The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) kicked off a nationwide strike on September 29, 2025, barricading key oil facilities in Abuja to protest mass layoffs at Dangote Refinery.
Union members locked down the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Towers, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Protesters chanted solidarity songs outside the gates, halting entry and operations.
The action began at midnight on September 29, with field shutdowns starting at 6:00 a.m. on September 28. PENGASSAN ordered all members to pull services from control rooms, field sites, offices, and agencies across the country.
At the heart of the dispute: the alleged unlawful firing of over 800 Nigerian employees by Dangote Refinery management. The union claims this breaks Nigerian labor laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation standards. They accuse the refinery of replacing locals with more than 2,000 Indian workers, calling it a direct insult to Nigerian labor.
“This is an affront to all workers in Nigeria,” PENGASSAN stated in a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on September 27, 2025.
Lumumba Okugbawa, the union’s General Secretary, directed members: “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.”
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Further instructions read: “All PENGASSAN members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies should withdraw all services effective 00:01 on Monday, 29th of September, 2025.”
Dangote Refinery defended the changes as a needed overhaul to curb sabotage, improve safety, and enhance efficiency, denying any unfair practices.
The strike already disrupted gas and crude supplies to the refinery, as per prior union orders. In Rivers State, a major oil hub, the shutdowns could ripple through production sites, affecting local jobs and energy flows.
PENGASSAN demands immediate reinstatement of the sacked workers and full compliance with labor rules. Failure to resolve this quickly may deepen industry tensions and economic fallout.
