By Amah
Kindly share
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed all of all its Nigerian workers less than 24 hours after 90 percent of them joined the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN.
The company disclosed in a memo signed by Femi Adekunle, the Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, on September 25, 2025: that the decision was taken as part of a comprehensive overhauling of the plant, in view of reported cases of sabotage in different units of the refinery.
It instructed affected staff to surrender all company property in their possession to their line managers and obtain exit clearance while the finance department was also directed to compute their benefits and entitlements for payment in accordance with terms of employment.
The management thanked the dismissed workers for their services.
It will be recalled that Dangote Refinery and PENGASSN have been at daggers drawn over unionisation of the workers.
Meanwhile, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, has sought for collaboration with Dangote Refinery, instead of the confrontation between the duo over the operations of the facility.
However, Nkem Ohia, the spokesperson of the association, said on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme Dangote Refinery has wholesale, and the association members want “to be able to pick products in bulk with vessels with a minimum capacity of 30,000 metric tons or more and sales at ex-gantry, which is like retailing.
“Ideally, most refineries lay more emphasis on ensuring that the bulk evacuates, whatever it is, through off takers who are able to lift massive quantities to be able to make sure the refinery is in a position to quickly go into production, replenish stocks as it brings in crude, it refines.
“The idea is to make sure it evacuates within a reasonable period of time, not be able to keep stock. That is not his own business model, but I’m not too sure that’s the best for him. But I can’t dictate.”
Denying any conflict with the Refinery, Ohia said all DAPPMAN was only interested in collaborating with the plant.
“Even before he commenced production, we reached out to him to allow us collaborate with him and be able to take products in bulk. It has been one of back and forth. Understanding has not been firmly reached,” he said.
“Instead, he prefers to work with a few select partners, which has excluded DAPPMAN. It has one or two members of DAPPMAN.”
He also rubbished insinuations that members of the association demanded an annual subsidy of N1.5trillion from Dangote Refinery to enable them match the refinery gantry’s prices at their own depots, describing it as ridiculous.
“This is completely ridiculous. We’re not asking for anything like a subsidy. We went into negotiations and are still in negotiations with him to see whether he can bridge that gap,” he said.
