PENGASSAN kicks as Dangote Refinery reportedly sacks workers

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has voiced strong concern over what it described as mass dismissals and intimidation of workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, allegedly carried out after employees declared their membership of the union.

The concerns were outlined in a letter addressed to the Lagos Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, signed by members of the Caretaker Committee (CTC) of the newly established union branch. Signatories included the branch secretary, Mr. Eseoghene Choice, and the chairman, Mr. Abdulfaitai Muhammed.

According to the committee, management late Thursday night circulated a termination notice addressed to all staff, just hours after employees participated in a union verification exercise.

“We regret to inform you that at about 9:59 p.m., workers received a mass termination email,” the committee stated.

It further alleged that the company withdrew staff buses, forcing employees to pay up to ₦4,000 in transportation costs, while denying them access to the facility — a restriction that reportedly did not apply to expatriates.

“At about 6:30 p.m., staff members who had joined PENGASSAN were denied entry into the refinery and were informed it was on the orders of Alhaji Aliko Dangote,” the committee alleged.

The group also accused management of moves to harass union leaders.“We intercepted an internal directive ordering the arrest and detention of the CTC chairman by the General Manager of Human Asset Management. This is a direct act of intimidation against union leaders,” it said.

The committee condemned the development as a breach of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees workers’ rights to freely associate.“These events clearly amount to targeted intimidation and victimisation of workers for exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of association,” it added.

In response, Mr. Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management at Dangote Group, said the company’s actions were driven by safety concerns.

He explained that there had been “multiple cases of reported sabotage across refinery units that posed major safety risks,” leaving management with no option but to embark on a “total reorganisation of the refinery,” which led to the disengagement of the affected workers, effective Thursday.