The Petroleum and Pure Fuel Senior Employees Affiliation of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members to chop off fuel provide to the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery, escalating a dispute over the disengagement of unionised staff.
In a letter dated September 26, 2025 and signed by Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, its Common Secretary, the union accused the refinery’s administration of violating staff’ constitutional proper to freedom of affiliation by terminating the employment of workers who had joined PENGASSAN.
PENGASSAN mentioned Dangote Refinery had not solely disengaged its members but additionally launched into “a mission of misinformation and propaganda to justify this illegitimacy reasonably than partaking meaningfully with us to proper the incorrect.”
Consequently, the union instructed its branches in gas-producing and supplying firms, together with TotalEnergies, Seplat, Renaissance, Chevron, Oando, Shell Nigeria Fuel, and the Nigeria Fuel Infrastructure Firm (NGIC), to instantly halt the availability of fuel to the refinery.
“All crude oil provide valves to the Refinery needs to be shut. The loading operation for vessel headed there needs to be halted instantly,” the directive learn. It particularly mandated NGIC to make sure the cut-off was enforced immediately.
The union requested all department chairmen to promptly report on the progress of the directive, reiterating its long-standing slogan: “Harm to at least one, harm to all.”
The event threatens to disrupt the operations of Africa’s largest oil refinery, which has been touted as a game-changer for Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
Commissioned in 2023 with a capability to course of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the power is predicted to cut back Nigeria’s heavy dependence on gas imports and stabilise home provide.
Labour disputes on the refinery, nevertheless, have raised considerations about industrial relations and compliance with labour legal guidelines.
The most recent motion by PENGASSAN, if sustained, might create recent hurdles for the plant’s operations and complicate authorities efforts to attain power safety.
Neither Dangote Refinery administration nor authorities officers had issued a press release on the union’s directive as of the time of submitting this report.
