The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed all its members to withdraw services nationwide.
The directive comes after an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) today, Saturday, September 27, 2025, in response to the reported sacking of over 800 PENGASSAN members by the Dangote Refinery.
According to a statement from the union’s General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, the decision to sack the Nigerian workers and hire “over 2,000 Indians” is a “show of disloyalty” to the country.
The union claims that Dangote Refinery has subjected Nigerian workers to “the worst type of working conditions in the oil and gas industry.”
The NEC’s resolution highlights that the move is an “affront to all workers in Nigeria” and a dangerous precedent that must be stopped.
The strike action is set to begin in phases. All PENGASSAN members working in field locations are to withdraw their services and begin a 24-hour prayer session starting at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28.
This includes all control room, panel, and outfield personnel. Following this, all other PENGASSAN members across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies will join the strike at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.
The union has also specifically targeted Dangote Refinery’s operations, stating that all gas and crude supply processes to the facility should be halted immediately. It has instructed all International Oil Company (IOC) branches to “ramp down” their gas production and supply to the refinery and its petrochemicals.
The statement concludes with a call to action for prayer, asking God “to give courage to those in authority to rein in Dangote and his co-travelers on the need to obey the laws of our country,” reinforcing the message that “no man is bigger than our country.”
