Nigeria’s senior oil workers’ union has ordered members to halt gas and crude supplies to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, escalating a labor dispute after hundreds of Nigerian staff were dismissed.
In a Sept. 26 directive seen by Reuters, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) told its chapters at major oil firms to “shut” crude supply valves to the plant and immediately stop loading for vessels bound for the refinery. General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa accused the refinery’s management of “misinformation and propaganda” instead of addressing what the union calls wrongful termination of unionized employees.
The move follows layoffs at the refinery that the union says replaced Nigerian workers with foreign nationals, mostly from India. Dangote says the dismissals are part of a reorganization to improve safety and operational efficiency. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the union’s letter.
The dispute adds pressure on the $20 billion facility, which this week said it would suspend petrol sales in naira from Sept. 28, citing crude supply shortfalls and foreign-exchange mismatches—fuelling concern over higher pump prices and fresh strain on Nigeria’s currency.
PENGASSAN instructed union leaders at oil majors to report progress on the shutdown, signaling a coordinated action that could disrupt fuel supplies in Africa’s most populous country.