PENGASSAN has ordered a nationwide shutdown of gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery amid standoff.
In a major escalation, NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered its members across the country to immediately cut off the supply of gas and crude oil to the Dangote Refinery.
The directive, contained in a letter signed by PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, on Saturday, follows the refinery’s dismissal of over 800 workers who joined the union.
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PENGASSAN instructed members to shut all crude supply valves to the refinery, cut gas to the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC), and halt loading operations for any vessel bound for the facility.
According to the union, Dangote Refinery’s decision to terminate workers for exercising their right to unionise was “illegitimate” and laced with “propaganda and misinformation.”
The move comes just hours after Dangote Refinery admitted it had disengaged workers, accusing them of sabotage.
With the refinery’s 650,000 barrels-per-day operations now under threat, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo has vowed that all sacked workers must be recalled immediately.
This standoff raises fresh uncertainty for Nigeria’s energy sector, already grappling with fuel supply challenges.