Members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) on Monday barricaded the premises of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja in compliance with the directives from its national executive committee for a nationwide industrial action.
The aggrieved union members are protesting the alleged illegal sacking of over 800 Nigerian workers by the management of the Dangote refinery.
The union members were spotted singing solidarity songs while gathering at the NNPCL office and those of the oil and gas regulators.
The union members blocked the gate into the premises, just as their colleagues at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) also blocked the entrance into their premises.
Union members were also at the headquarters of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by dismissing workers for joining the association.
It alleged the refinery had replaced the dismissed staff with “over 2,000 Indians,” calling the action “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”
PENGASSAN subsequently directed members in field locations to down tools from Sunday, and ordered a total nationwide shutdown across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies from Monday.
Leave a Reply