By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja
Barely 24 hours after workers at the Dangote refinery affirmed their membership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the company has issued mass termination emails to its workers that joined the association.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals workers, had successfully finalised the appointment of the Caretaker Committee of the Branch Executive Council (BEC), and the submission of Batch One of the unionised members’ list to Management on 25th September 2025.
But in a statement signed by Comr. Eseoghene Choice, CTC Branch Secretary and Comr. Abdulfaitai Muhammed, CTC branch Chairman on Friday, PENGASSAN expressed regret over the action of Dangote refinery, stating that the company was violating the workers right of association.
The statement alleged that the management of Dangote physically attempted to verify whether staff voluntarily consented to join PENGASSAN by circulating a list for staff to confirm their membership.
It said: “A meeting was held with members, during which they were asked to indicate their membership in PENGANSSAN Overwhelmingly, staff at the Refinery affirmed “YES.”
“Withdrawal of Staff Buses: At about 5:00 p.m., we received information that Management sent a directive that all shift buses were “under
maintenance,” and that workers should use their personal funds for transportation to work.
“Members had to spend up to ₦4,000 to report to duty. Despite this provocation, our members were calm and non-confrontational, and still made sacrifices to ensure they were present at work.
“Denial of Entry into Refinery: Later in the evening, between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. today, staff who had joined PENGASSAN were denied entry into the Refinery and were informed that it was on the orders of Alhaji Aliko Dangote and only expatriates (Indians, Pakistanis and other nationals) were permitted to enter.
“Mass Termination Notice: At about 9:59 pm today, workers received a mass termination email. The termination letter was addressed to “All Staff” of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
“Targeted Intimidation of Union Leaders. “We intercepted an internal directive to the security department ordering the arrest and detention of the Caretaker Committee (CTC) Chairman by the GM–Human Asset Management (see attached)”.
The statement further stated that: “This is a direct act of intimidation against union leaders. Current Situation and Constitutional Breach.
“There are indications that further dismissals will be communicated tomorrow, deepening the attack on workers’ rights and union activities.
“These actions by Alhaji Aliko Dangote are in direct violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees every citizen the right to freely assemble and associate, including forming or belonging to a trade union for the protection of their interests”.
The statement said the events clearly amount to targeted intimidation and victimisation of workers for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of association.
It further noted that the Caretaker Committee remains committed to the struggle and seeks urgent intervention and guidance from the leadership.
