Samuel Omang
The reported sudden dismissal of Dangote Workers has thrown Nigeria’s oil and gas industry into turmoil, igniting a fierce confrontation between Africa’s largest refinery and one of the country’s most powerful unions.
What began as quiet murmurs of discontent among staff has now exploded into a national labor crisis with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, calling an emergency meeting to determine its next line of action.
It all started when employees at Dangote Refinery joined PENGASSAN in a bid to secure stronger representation and better working conditions. But instead of welcoming the move, the company abruptly terminated their appointments, triggering outrage across the sector.
By Friday, Comrade Festus Osifo, PENGASSAN’s National President, confirmed that the sackings had been carried out purely because of the workers’ decision to unionize—a move many see as a direct attack on labor rights in Nigeria.
In response, PENGASSAN summoned its National Executive Council, scheduled to convene over the weekend. Insiders reveal that the atmosphere will be tense, with strike sitting high on the agenda.
Should that happen, Nigeria’s oil sector—already fragile—could face crippling disruptions. For many observers, this is more than a labor dispute; it is a test of how far corporate power can stretch before colliding with workers’ rights.
The clash also revives memories of past battles between unions and multinationals, where temporary injunctions or political interventions bought time but never solved the underlying tensions.
Earlier this month, Dangote Refinery secured a short-lived injunction to stall strike threats from NUPENG, yet that legal win has done little to calm the storm. Now, with Dangote Workers abruptly out of their jobs, the question is no longer whether a fight will happen but how devastating its impact will be on the country’s economy.
As Nigerians brace for the fallout, one thing is clear: the voices of Dangote Workers have become central to a larger conversation about dignity, fair treatment, and the balance of power between corporations and unions.
What began inside the walls of a refinery now echoes across boardrooms, union halls, and households nationwide—reminding everyone that the future of work in Nigeria is being decided, one confrontation at a time.