The Concerned Nigerian Consumers Forum has warned that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) alleged plans to picket the Dangote Petroleum Refinery over alleged mass sackings risk plunging Nigeria back into the dark era of fuel queues, black market exploitation, and national embarrassment.
The forum made the statement on Sunday, signed by its president, Comrade Olabisi Taiwo, and secretary, Dr. Justice Akani.
The forum stressed it was deeply disappointed by PENGASSAN’s posture and rhetoric, adding that “The union’s actions and statements, if not carefully examined, risk plunging Nigeria back into the dark era of fuel queues, black market exploitation, and national embarrassment.”
National Assets Must Be Protected
- According to the forum, the Dangote Refinery is not just another business venture but a national asset built with private capital, designed to solve a decades-long problem that successive governments failed to address.
- The forum, citing the refinery company’s statement, highlighted that the recent reorganisation was necessitated by repeated acts of sabotage that posed safety risks and disrupted operations.
“This is not unusual in industrial settings. Every responsible management must act decisively to protect their assets and ensure operational efficiency.
“The refinery still employs over 3,000 Nigerians and continues to recruit through graduate trainee schemes and experienced hire programmes. This is not the profile of a company that is anti-labour or anti-Nigerian,” the forum maintained.
- The forum stressed that inciting public unrest and threatening picketing over unverified claims is allegedly “irresponsible” and contravenes international labour standards.
- The group urged the Federal Government to intervene swiftly, adding that the rule of law must prevail while ensuring the refinery’s operations are protected from undue interference.
Backstory
Earlier on Sunday, PENGASSAN ordered a nationwide strike in response to the dismissal of some Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the association’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the decision followed an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) held on Saturday.
- Okugbawa described the refinery’s action as an alleged violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international conventions.
- On Friday, the Dangote Group dismissed reports of mass staff layoffs, clarifying that the ongoing reorganisation at its Petroleum Refinery affects only a small number of employees and is aimed at safeguarding operations and preventing sabotage.
- In a statement shared via the Group’s official X account, the reorganisation is a necessary measure to protect the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.
Management noted that intermittent sabotage across various units has had serious consequences for human life and operational safety.
The refinery confirmed that over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively within the facility and emphasized that only a very small number of staff have been affected by the reorganisation.
