PENGASSAN Moves Against Dangote Refinery Over Mass Sack, Plans Emergency NEC Meeting

|By Adejumo Adekunle

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has summoned an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting following the mass sack of Nigerian workers at Dangote Refinery for joining the union.

PENGASSAN President, Comrade Festus Osifo, confirmed the development on Friday, stressing that the union would take decisive action after the meeting scheduled for the weekend.

“We will call for an emergency NEC meeting by the weekend to decide on the way forward,” Osifo declared.

The crisis escalated after reports surfaced that Dangote Refinery terminated the contracts of all its Nigerian staff who enrolled in PENGASSAN. Osifo, however, assured that the union would fight until the sacked workers are reinstated.

The brewing standoff raises fears of a nationwide strike capable of disrupting Nigeria’s already fragile oil sector.

In recent weeks, Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have clashed over the unionisation of refinery staff. Earlier this month, the company secured a seven-day interim injunction to halt NUPENG from embarking on strike action.

With PENGASSAN now on the offensive, industry observers warn the dispute could plunge the sector into fresh turmoil.