The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) suspended activities at the Dangote Refinery and its fertiliser facilities on Sunday morning, September 28, 2025.
According to an official update from the union, the refinery is completely shut down, while the fertiliser plant’s train two is fully closed and train one operates at 60% capacity. The diesel plant remains operational for now.
This action follows orders issued by the union for members across Nigeria to withdraw services starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.
PENGASSAN also instructed its workers in various roles, including field operations, control room, and panel staff, to stop work from 6:00 a.m. Sunday and commence 24-hour prayer sessions. At an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, the union expressed outrage over Dangote Refinery’s unilateral dismissal of over 800 employees who had joined PENGASSAN. The union labeled this as a direct violation of Nigerian labour laws, the country’s constitution, and international labour standards established by the ILO.General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa criticized the refinery for maltreating Nigerian workers and replacing them with 2,000 foreign employees, calling it a betrayal of a nation that has generously supported the company through taxpayer-funded incentives.
PENGASSAN accused Dangote of enforcing some of the harshest working conditions in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. In response, the union resolved to halt all gas and crude supply processes supporting Dangote’s operations immediately.
They further urged all International Oil Companies to reduce gas production and cut supplies to Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals.
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