The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed several employees after management linked them to a WhatsApp group allegedly used by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to share confidential operational details.
Sources familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES that the group was created to recruit refinery workers into the union and gather daily reports on operations. Management reportedly considered the move sabotage and acted swiftly.
In letters issued on 25 September, the refinery said the dismissals were part of a “necessary reorganisation” to protect the facility from repeated acts of sabotage that threatened safety and efficiency.
PENGASSAN, however, condemned the sackings as anti-labour, accusing the refinery of discrimination against Nigerian workers. The union ordered members nationwide to disrupt operations and threatened to cut off gas and crude supply to the multibillion-dollar plant.
The standoff triggered emergency interventions. The National Industrial Court issued an injunction barring PENGASSAN from carrying out its strike threat, while the Ministry of Labour and the Office of the National Security Adviser convened marathon reconciliation meetings.
On Monday, protesters blocked entrances to key oil regulators in Abuja with banners reading: “Dangote Must Obey” and “Dangote is Not Bigger than the Country.”
After days of tense negotiations, both sides reached an agreement in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting the union to suspend its nationwide strike.
The refinery, Africa’s largest, remains under scrutiny as mistrust lingers between management and the oil workers’ union.
