A covert WhatsApp group linked to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has been cited as the trigger behind the recent sacking of workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, sources familiar with the matter told Premium Times.
Trouble began when PENGASSAN reached out to refinery staff, urging them to join the union with promises of protection. According to insiders, a WhatsApp group was created where officials circulated membership forms and encouraged workers to share daily reports on refinery operations.
The platform quickly became a channel for exchanging sensitive details, which management reportedly viewed as a breach of trust and sabotage. “What put them into trouble is a WhatsApp group… they were sharing reports every day. That was how it leaked,” one source explained, adding that the information posed threats to safety and operations.
The refinery has maintained that the dismissals, effective September 25, were part of a wider re-organisation necessary to safeguard the multi-billion-dollar plant. A letter signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, underscored that repeated sabotage had raised “safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.”
“This exercise is not arbitrary,” the letter stated. “It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.”
PENGASSAN reacted strongly, accusing Dangote of anti-labour practices and discrimination against Nigerian staff. The union instructed members to disrupt refinery operations by blocking gas supply, sparking fears of energy shortages. Nationwide, members were directed to withdraw services from September 28, intensifying tensions across the oil and gas industry.
The refinery countered that PENGASSAN had no legal right to interfere with contracts involving third-party gas and crude suppliers. It called on the federal government to intervene, warning that the union’s actions could inflict severe damage on Nigeria’s economy.
The standoff prompted swift intervention from both lawmakers and the Ministry of Labour. The House of Representatives urged PENGASSAN to suspend its supply cutoff directive, while Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi appealed for calm, assuring that reconciliation was underway.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja issued an interim order halting PENGASSAN’s nationwide strike and restraining it from cutting off crude and gas supply to the refinery. Despite initial deadlock in negotiations, talks reconvened under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
By early Wednesday, both sides reached a truce. The agreement affirmed that unionisation remains a legal right under Nigerian labour law. Management also committed to reassigning disengaged staff to other Dangote Group subsidiaries without loss of pay, while pledging that no worker would face victimisation.
