The federal government has stepped in to avert a looming strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), which had directed its members to cut off crude oil and gas supply to the $20 billion Dangote Refinery.
The intervention came after PENGASSAN accused the refinery of sacking over 800 unionised workers and threatened to halt all supply operations from October 29, 2025.
At an emergency meeting chaired by Finance Minister Wale Edun, the government reassured Nigerians that fuel supply would not be disrupted and pledged to resolve the dispute urgently.
While PENGASSAN insists the refinery violated workers’ rights, Dangote Refinery dismissed the action as “lawless and criminal,” warning against interference in its supply contracts.
Labour solidarity is building, with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) threatening nationwide industrial action unless the sacked workers are reinstated, while the Concerned Nigerian Consumers Forum urged the government to probe PENGASSAN’s motives, warning of risks to national energy security.
The refinery, Africa’s largest single-train plant, is central to Nigeria’s fuel self-sufficiency agenda.
