PENGASSAN: No Deal Yet with Dangote Refinery, Strike Action Possible

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has stated that it did not sign the communiqué that temporarily halted its nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery.

The industrial action, which began on Sunday, was suspended on Wednesday following the intervention of the Federal Government. However, the union maintained that several of its key concerns remain unresolved.

PENGASSAN had accused the refinery of unlawfully dismissing over 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with more than 2,000 expatriates.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, cautioned that the strike could resume without notice if the refinery management fails to honour the resolutions reached. He acknowledged that “grey areas” still exist in the communiqué but said the suspension was made in good faith to allow for dialogue.

During an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Osifo clarified that the communiqué was not a binding agreement. “If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us,” he said.

According to him, the communiqué was essentially a statement issued by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, who acted as chief conciliator. “When we subjected it to our NEC, we had to decide on priorities. Some media reports claimed we were only interested in check-off dues. That is false. What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families,” Osifo explained.

The union leader stressed that reinstatement of the sacked workers remained a core demand, disclosing that Dangote had initially resisted reabsorbing the affected employees until the government intervened. He dismissed the refinery’s earlier claims that the workers engaged in sabotage, insisting the allegation was “totally incorrect.”

“If we had allowed that sabotage tag to stand, those 800 people would not be able to secure jobs in the future. That stigma would remain forever. Clearing that was a very big win. We are not perturbed in any way,” Osifo said.

He emphasised that PENGASSAN’s actions were not motivated by self-interest but by the need to protect Nigerian workers’ rights to association and fair treatment.

Warning that the union would not hesitate to return to industrial action if necessary, Osifo declared: “If Dangote does not do the needful, our tools are always available. We will never get tired of struggling for what is right. We have been around for 50 years before the Dangote Refinery came on stream.”