The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of attempting to sabotage the country’s energy supply chain.
The refinery claims that PENGASSAN’s directive to cut off crude oil and gas supplies to the facility is “a brazen display of lawlessness and criminality” that could plunge Nigeria into widespread fuel scarcity.
The dispute between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN stems from the refinery’s decision to disengage some workers, which PENGASSAN claims was in response to their efforts to unionize.
The union directed its members in various oil and gas companies, including TotalEnergies, Seplat, and Chevron, to halt crude oil loading operations and cut off gas supply to the refinery.
Dangote Refinery argues that PENGASSAN’s directive is unlawful and amounts to economic sabotage.
The company stressed that the union has no legal authority to interfere with contracts signed between the refinery and its suppliers.
“Absolutely no law gives PENGASSAN the right to direct its branches to ‘cut off’ gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery or at all,” the company stated.
The refinery warned that compliance with PENGASSAN’s directive would disrupt the supply of essential petroleum products, including petrol, aviation fuel, diesel, kerosene, and cooking gas. This, in turn, would cause irreparable hardship for households and businesses nationwide.
The company also noted that the directive undermines investor confidence and threatens revenues accruing to federal and state governments.
Dangote Refinery has called on the federal government and security agencies to intervene in the matter, urging them to call PENGASSAN to order.
The company emphasized that PENGASSAN’s actions constitute economic sabotage against the Nigerian state and that the association must not be allowed to introduce anarchy and mayhem into society.
PENGASSAN has threatened to picket the refinery if the matter remains unresolved. The union claims that the refinery’s actions are anti-labour and that it has withdrawn staff buses, barred locals from entry, and granted access only to expatriates.
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