The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has vowed to continue its nationwide strike against Dangote Refinery, despite a restraining order from the National Industrial Court.
Its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, dismissed reports of a valid court injunction halting its action.
“Our attention has been drawn to rumours making rounds on a court injunction restraining our noble exercise.
“I want to unequivocally state that we have not been served anything of such. Court orders or processes are served via court bailiff and not through social media,” he stated in a memo.
The General Secretary instructed all comrades to continue the strike until further notice and warned that only official communication channels should be trusted.
“All comrades are therefore directed to continue with the industrial action until further instruction. Only information coming through our official channels should be regarded as authentic,” the association noted.
Okugbawa praised its members for their resolve, adding, “We have just begun, and victory is in sight.”
Earlier on Monday, Justice Emmanuel Subilim of the National Industrial Court in Abuja restrained PENGASSAN from proceeding with its planned industrial action.
The order followed an ex parte application filed by Dangote Refinery and argued by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, George Ibrahim.
Ibrahim told the court that Dangote Refinery provides essential services critical to Nigeria’s economy and public welfare.
He added that recent sabotage by some employees raised grave safety concerns, prompting a restructuring that affected a few staff.
He said: “The refinery employs over 3,000 Nigerians. Only a negligible number were affected by the re-organisation, which was purely on safety and operational grounds.”
Justice Subilim held that allowing the strike to proceed could cripple essential services and cause irreparable damage to the refinery’s operations.
He granted a seven-day interim injunction, ordering immediate service of the ruling on all defendants. The motion on notice is scheduled for October 13.
While the legal battle unfolded, PENGASSAN members took to the streets. On Monday, they barricaded the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) headquarters in Abuja.
They also blocked entrances into the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
Chanting solidarity songs, protesters carried placards accusing Dangote Refinery of violating labour rights.
The demonstrations followed PENGASSAN’s accusation that Dangote illegally dismissed over 800 Nigerian workers and replaced them with “over 2,000 Indians.”
In its circular, PENGASSAN alleged that the refinery’s actions breached Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions.
The union directed members to cut crude and gas supplies. “All control room and field operations must stop without delay,” it warned.
Backing the union, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, declared: “We stand in full solidarity with the affected workers. No corporation will be allowed to trample on workers’ rights.”
Toro demanded the reinstatement of the dismissed staff and a public apology, warning that affiliates were on red alert for a broader strike.
Dangote Refinery, commissioned in May 2023, has consistently denied breaching workers’ rights.
The company said its restructuring was necessary to safeguard operations after internal sabotage. It stressed that thousands of Nigerians remained employed, and only a fraction were affected.
“No law grants PENGASSAN the right to cut off supplies,” the company stated.
It accused the union of “criminal conduct” and economic sabotage, warning that a prolonged strike could destabilise fuel supply chains and erode government revenue.
The refinery urged the Federal government to intervene to prevent what it called “reckless conduct” from damaging the country’s fragile energy sector.
- Media Report