Tension has erupted at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery after the company abruptly terminated the employment of all its Nigerian workers, less than 24 hours after the majority of them joined the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The shocking development was made public on Wednesday via a post on X (formerly Twitter) by political commentator Imran Wakili. According to him, over 90% of the Nigerian workforce at the refinery had just joined the oil workers’ union before the mass layoff was announced.
A leaked internal memo dated September 25, 2025, and signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management at Dangote Refinery, cited a “total re-organisation” as the reason for the sack. The memo also mentioned “reported cases of sabotage” in various units of the refinery as part of the justification for the restructuring.
“All affected employees are to hand over all company property in their possession to their line managers and obtain clearance from the Human Asset Management Department,” the memo read.
The finance department has been instructed to process severance benefits and entitlements in line with employment contracts. The management also expressed gratitude to the dismissed staff for their service to the company.
This incident is the latest in a growing conflict between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN over workers’ rights to unionize. Sources say efforts by the staff to formally unionize under PENGASSAN have met stiff resistance from the refinery’s leadership in recent months.
PENGASSAN, one of Nigeria’s most powerful oil and gas unions, has not yet issued an official statement regarding the mass dismissal. However, labour rights activists are already condemning the move as a direct attack on the workers’ constitutional right to association.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which began operations earlier this year, is Africa’s largest oil refining facility. Its massive size and economic importance have drawn national attention, and observers say this crisis could spark wider labour unrest if not quickly resolved.
