Senator Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna State lawmaker, has urged Dangote Refinery management to quickly restore workers who were allegedly dismissed for forming trade unions, characterizing the decision as a violation of constitutional rights and a threat to industrial peace.
In a statement on Monday through his official X page, Sani also urged the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria to halt its instruction to cut off gas supply to the refinery, saying that such a step could harm national economic interests.
He wrote, “Dangote should recall the workers sacked because of their decision to join their trade unions. PENGASSAN should suspend their decision to cut off gas supply to the Dangote Refinery.”
The involvement coincides with rising tensions between the refinery’s management and organized labor. PENGASSAN claimed that over 800 workers were fired for joining the union, a move the union claims violates Nigerian labor laws and international agreements.
The union has already requested a statewide stoppage of activities, including the supply of gas and crude to the refinery, accusing the firm of substituting Nigerian workers with “over 2,000 Indians,” causing fury in labor circles and civil society.
In response, Dangote Refinery accused PENGASSAN of sabotage and self-interest, noting its previous hostility to reform and privatization measures.
The corporation called the strike order “reckless, lawless, and dangerous,” claiming that it was intended to weaponize misery against Nigerians.
It argued that the dismissals were motivated by safety and efficiency issues rather than anti-union victimization and that more than 3,000 Nigerians continue to work at the site.
Sani, a human rights campaigner and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, emphasized that, while the refinery is a critical national asset, it must function in accordance with Nigerian labor laws and protect workers’ rights.
“The nation is proud of Dangote’s refinery and its unprecedented level of success, but the right of workers to unionize is embedded in the laws of our country,” he added.
With PENGASSAN’s strike officially started and operations at the Dangote Refinery potentially hampered, the federal government has summoned a meeting today (Monday) to discuss a quick settlement to avoid a larger industrial crisis in the country’s oil and gas sector.
