About 800 workers at the Dangote Refinery were dismissed after a WhatsApp group they were part of leaked confidential operational details.
The group, created by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), aimed to mobilize union membership among refinery workers.
The management of the refinery terminated the workers’ services, citing repeated acts of sabotage that raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency. Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, emphasized that the decision was necessary to protect the facility. “Reports from the refinery were being shared daily. Management saw it as a serious threat and acted quickly,” an insider disclosed.
PENGASSAN had been reaching out to refinery workers, encouraging them to join the union and promising protection. However, the group’s activities were seen as sabotage by the management, who interpreted it as a coordinated attempt to undermine operations.
The dispute escalated into a national issue, with PENGASSAN directing its members to halt crude oil supplies to the refinery in protest. The Federal Government intervened, brokering peace between the parties. Dangote Refinery agreed to recall the dismissed workers and redeploy them to other companies within the Dangote Group without loss of pay.
The agreement ensures that unionization is a right of workers in accordance with Nigerian law. The incident highlights the fragile balance between corporate control and labour rights in Nigeria’s oil industry.
The refinery’s management described the dismissals as part of a necessary reorganization to protect the facility from repeated acts of sabotage. PENGASSAN condemned the sackings as anti-labour practices and accused the refinery of discrimination against Nigerian workers.
