In a fresh twist to the ongoing labour dispute, the Nigerian government has shifted the reconciliation meeting between the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
The meeting, which ended in deadlock late Monday, was originally scheduled to reconvene at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja.
However, following rising tensions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, alongside PENGASSAN leaders, proceeded to the NSA’s office for a closed-door session.
PENGASSAN had earlier directed its members to disrupt operations at the refinery by cutting gas supply, protesting the alleged sack of some unionized workers.
The association also accused the refinery of spreading misinformation to justify its actions, vowing nationwide service withdrawal from midnight on 28 September.
The union further alleged anti-labour practices and discrimination against Nigerian workers, prompting urgent intervention from the federal government.
But the Dangote Refinery swiftly pushed back, describing PENGASSAN’s directive as illegal. The company insisted the union has no legal authority to interfere in its third-party contracts for crude and gas supply, warning that such actions threaten the stability of Nigeria’s energy sector and wider economy.
Over the weekend, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) urged PENGASSAN to suspend its directive to cut supply, while the federal government appealed to the union to call off its planned strike. Minister Dingyadi stressed that reconciliation efforts were already underway to prevent escalation.
Despite the appeals, PENGASSAN pressed ahead with its protest on Monday morning, blocking access to the headquarters of NNPC Ltd, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
At the NMDPRA offices, banners with slogans such as “Dangote Must Obey” and “Dangote is Not Bigger than the Country” were displayed.
In a legal development, the National Industrial Court in Abuja has issued an interim order restraining PENGASSAN from continuing its nationwide strike or cutting crude and gas supply to the refinery.
Still, the union’s action has already triggered ripple effects, with black market petrol sellers resurfacing in Abuja as the standoff drags on.
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