The Dangote Refinery has plunged into fresh controversy after sacking all its Nigerian workers less than 24 hours after they joined the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The mass dismissal, confirmed by PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo, has sparked outrage in the oil and gas sector.
Speaking to Daily Post on Friday, Osifo said: “Yes, it is true. We saw the letter late last night. I can assure you that they will recall all of them.”
Political commentator Imran Wakili earlier broke the news on X, alleging that about 90% of Nigerian workers at the facility had unionised before being abruptly laid off.
He described the move as a “guise of reorganisation” by management.
According to an internal memo dated September 25, 2025, and signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, the refinery justified the decision as part of a “total re-organisation” following what it claimed were sabotage incidents in several refinery units.
The directive ordered affected staff to return all company property to their line managers and secure clearance before exit.
It also directed the finance department to calculate their entitlements in line with employment terms.
Management expressed “appreciation for their contributions” during their period of service.
However, the timing of the action coming less than 24 hours after workers officially joined PENGASSAN has triggered suspicion of union victimisation.
The refinery has been locked in a tense standoff with oil unions over unionisation rights.
Recently, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had declared a solidarity strike, which was later suspended after federal government intervention.
Although Dangote Refinery previously secured a court injunction barring union strikes, that order has since expired, raising fears of a wider showdown.
With PENGASSAN vowing to resist, the crisis threatens to escalate into nationwide industrial action if not quickly resolved.
The refinery, Africa’s largest single-train crude processing facility, has been seen as a potential game-changer for Nigeria’s energy sector.
But its relationship with workers’ unions has remained uneasy, with labour leaders accusing management of resisting unionisation to suppress workers’ rights.
For now, PENGASSAN has vowed to push back. “We will not allow this kind of victimisation. Nigerian workers have a right to unionise, and they must be protected,” Osifo stressed.
The coming days will determine whether Dangote Refinery bows to union pressure and recalls the workers or if the confrontation deepens into a broader labour crisis capable of disrupting fuel supply nationwide.