The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised alarm over what it describes as a deliberate attempt by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to cripple the nation’s energy infrastructure by instructing oil workers to cut off crude and gas supplies to its facility.
In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday, the company condemned the union’s directive as “a brazen display of lawlessness and criminality,” warning that such actions could plunge the country into another round of fuel scarcity, disrupt energy distribution, and inflict widespread economic damage.
According to the refinery, the controversial directive was issued on September 26 by PENGASSAN to its members across several multinational oil companies, including Shell, Chevron, TotalEnergies, Seplat, Oando, and others. The union reportedly instructed its branches to immediately cease all crude loading operations and gas supply services to the $19 billion Dangote Refinery in Lagos.
Dangote Group insists that the union has no legal authority to meddle in the commercial contracts it has signed with third-party crude and gas suppliers, accusing the union of overstepping its mandate and undermining national interests.
“This is a shocking and dangerous precedent. There is no provision in Nigerian law that grants PENGASSAN the right to shut down crude and gas supplies to our refinery,” the company stated. “PENGASSAN is not a party to our contracts with suppliers and has no legal grounds to disrupt their execution.”
The refinery, billed as the largest single-train refinery in the world and a key strategic asset for Nigeria’s energy independence, warned that the union’s move could cause significant hardship for citizens and businesses across the country. Products such as petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene, and cooking gas all of which are processed at the facility could become scarce if the supply interruption continues, it said.
Dangote Refinery also criticized the union’s decision as contradictory, noting that PENGASSAN had previously pledged to explore legal avenues to address any grievances. The company said it was stunned to see the union abandon the rule of law in favor of what it called “mob-style interference.”
“Rather than follow through with its earlier commitment to seek redress through the courts, PENGASSAN has resorted to threats and disruption,” the statement read. “This is not only reckless, it is criminal.”
Highlighting the national implications, the company said any disruption of operations at the refinery would have a ripple effect on Nigeria’s economy, reduce tax revenues, and send negative signals to international investors looking to enter the country’s energy sector.
“The refinery is not just a private investment; it is a national economic asset. To sabotage it is to sabotage Nigeria,” the statement added. “PENGASSAN’s actions threaten the confidence of foreign investors, many of whom see the Dangote project as a signal that Nigeria is open for business.”
The company further appealed to the Federal Government and law enforcement agencies to urgently intervene, stating that the directive poses a direct threat to the country’s energy stability and economic wellbeing.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, security agencies, and all relevant stakeholders to take swift and decisive action. No single group should be allowed to plunge the country into chaos or hardship,” Dangote stated.
The refinery emphasized that it is among the highest corporate taxpayers in Nigeria and a critical contributor to national development, stressing that it deserves protection from what it described as “anarchic behavior.”
Calling on the Nigerian public to resist any attempts to disrupt its operations, the company warned that if PENGASSAN’s directive is implemented, it could lead to “irreparable damage” across multiple sectors of the economy.
“Every Nigerian, from the ordinary citizen to the business class, relies on the products processed here. This is not just about Dangote, it’s about the future of Nigeria’s energy security,” the statement concluded.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had ordered its members to immediately halt all gas and crude oil supplies to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
This directive, issued on Friday through a letter signed by the union’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, comes amid escalating tensions between the union and the refinery’s management over alleged anti-labour activities.
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