Tension is boiling at the Dangote Refinery as Nigerian workers under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) accuse Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, of orchestrating mass intimidation and sackings for exercising their constitutional right to unionise.
The refinery’s caretaker committee leaders, Abdulfaitai Muhammed and Eseoghene Choice, allege that Nigerian workers were locked out of the facility on Dangote’s orders while only expatriates mainly Indians and Pakistanis were granted access.
In a dramatic escalation, The News Chronicle gathered that the staff buses were abruptly withdrawn, forcing workers to pay as much as ₦4,000 from their own pockets to get to work.
It was learned that by nightfall on Wednesday, a mass termination email landed in employees’ inboxes, addressed to “All Staff” of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals.
Union leaders claim Dangote’s management went further, instructing the refinery’s security department to arrest and detain the caretaker committee chairman in what they describe as “targeted intimidation of union leaders.”
“These actions are a direct violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly and association,” the workers said in a statement, insisting the crackdown began after they overwhelmingly declared membership in PENGASSAN.
The refinery has since confirmed the mass sackings.
Reacting swiftly, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo vowed that the workers would be reinstated and summoned an emergency National Executive Council meeting to decide the union’s next steps.
The controversy comes just months after the long-delayed $20 billion, 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery billed as Africa’s biggest finally began operations, raising fresh questions over its labour practices.
Meanwhile, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed claims by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) that workers were sacked for joining the union, describing the allegation as “unfounded and misleading.”
The company said the recent reorganisation targeted operational efficiency and addressed repeated cases of sabotage that posed safety risks.
“Over 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at our refinery. Only a minimal number of staff were affected, while recruitment continues through graduate trainee and experienced hire programmes,” management stated.
Dangote Refinery stressed the move was necessary to protect the facility, calling it a “strategic national asset” whose stability is vital to Nigerians, African partners, and thousands of livelihoods.
The firm reaffirmed its commitment to global labour principles, including employees’ freedom to choose union membership, and pledged continued collaboration with regulators and stakeholders to ensure safety, transparency, and accountability.
