Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has been barred by the National Industrial Court (NIC) in Abuja from cutting supplies of petroleum products to the $20 billion Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lagos.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim issued the order yesterday while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the refinery’s management. The motion was argued by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) George Ibrahim.
Also to be affected by the order are the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd, (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC),which are respondents to the motion.
The Federal Government also yesterday said the strike by PENGASSAN over the sack of 800 workers by Dangote Refinery was a matter of security concern.
The union members yesterday barricaded the entrances to the NNPCL, NMDPRA and NUPRC offices in Abuja, preventing their officials from gaining access till the Dangote Refinery recalled the sacked workers.
Dangote Refinery, in an affidavit supporting its motion at the industrial court, claimed that in recent times, it noted incidents of sabotage by some of the employees in the Lagos-based plant that raised issues of grave health concern and safety of human lives.
The company added that it came to an irresistible conclusion that there should be re-organisation in the plant, which led to 800 of its 3,000 workers losing their jobs last Thursday.
The management stated that it was surprised to see online reports the following day(Friday) that the workers were laid off because they joined PENGASSAN.
The company said it refuted the report via a statement in which it also explained it was not averse to employee unionising.
The management added that by a letter dated last Friday and allegedly circulated online by PENGASSAN through its General Secretary, Lamumba Okugbawa, the union wrote Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo, warning that its members would take action that would force the refinery to its knees if the sacked workers were not reabsorbed.
It added: “The first defendant issued a press statement on the 26th day of September, 2025, wherein it erroneously referred to the laying off of the workers by the claimant as anti-labour practices, alleging that the workers were being victimised because they joined the 1st defendant (PENGASSAN) as members of the union, which is not correct.
“The first defendant is going to make good its threat to shut down operations of the claimant, knowing the strength of its membership across the country, unless the court intervenes.
“The claimant’s plant was constructed with over $20 billion by its promoters to solve the energy problem of Nigeria that has been lingering for decades and has been sailing with good results to consumer satisfaction and have been making significant contribution to the economy of Nigeria, but the first defendant if allowed to make good its threat will undoubtedly plunge Nigeria into the dark days of energy dearth and crisis and again, jeopardise the livelihood of the Nigerian’s end users and consumers and negatively impact on the economy
“The first defendant has not engaged the claimant with respect to a dispute, if any, before championing and calling for an industrial action against the claimant contrary to the extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
