₦airaland Forum

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has suspended its nationwide strike against Dangote Petroleum Refinery after the intervention of the Federal Government, but warned that the suspension is only temporary.

[b]PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, announced the decision on Wednesday in Abuja after marathon negotiations with government officials and representatives of the refinery that stretched into the early hours.

The strike, which began on Sunday over alleged anti-union practices at the refinery, paralysed parts of Nigeria’s oil and gas operations before Wednesday’s truce.

He announced this at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

The strike, which commenced on Sunday over alleged anti-union practices at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, was called off after marathon negotiations brokered by the Federal Government stretched into the early hours of Wednesday.

The union president said the decision followed intense intervention by the Federal Government that paved the way for the truce.

Osifo said the union was taking the “moral high ground” by bowing to government persuasion despite strong doubts about the sincerity of the Dangote Group.

Osifo stated, “We are only suspending, not calling off this strike.”[/b]

“If any part of this agreement is broken, we will not give any warning. We will immediately resume our suspended industrial action.”

He stressed that the industrial action was rooted in the fundamental right of workers to freedom of association, insisting that members joined the union “to secure better welfare and fair pay.”


According to him, PENGASSAN remains unsatisfied with aspects of the communique signed under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour, warning that the union’s patience should not be mistaken for weakness.

Osifo said, “Yes, we understand that Dangote does not respect the rules of engagement. Yes, we understand that Dangote wants to prove that he is always bigger than the rules and above the law. Yes, we understand that today, we still have some members working within the confines of the refinery.

“Yes, today, we still have some members working in some companies within the group. Yes, we know or we believe or we suspect that some of the things that the government has asked Dangote to do, that he’s going to slip in it and won’t do them just as he did it to NUPENG. We have our suspicion.

“We truly don’t believe that he will keep to his own side of the bargain. We truly don’t believe that he will live up to expectations. We don’t believe. But because we have respect for institutions, because we have respect for government, because we have respect for processes, and because we have respect for procedures and because of those in government who sat up till almost 4 a.m. this morning to try and resolve this subject, the NEC has decided to listen to them. Even with our mutual suspicion that Dangote will not do what is right, even with our misgivings that the document did not clearly represent what we have asked for.


“But even with the shortcomings in the document, the National Executive Council of PENGGASAN has decided that they will go ahead to take the moral high ground, that we will go ahead to prove to the government that we are extremely patriotic people, that love this country more than any single individual, that we will go ahead to suspend the industrial action that we started on Sunday, 28th day of September 2025.”

He emphasised that the dispute was about the fundamental right of workers to freedom of association and fair pay.

“Remember, we are only suspending and we didn’t call off. We will be monitoring and following closely on any slip on the part of Dangote. If any part of this agreement, or any part of this communique as put up by the Ministry of Labour, is broken, we will not give any notice, we will not give any warning, and we will resume the suspended industrial action immediately.

“We have only suspended the industrial action in respect of the government of the land. As an institution, are we completely happy with what was provided? The answer for us is no,” he added.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, commissioned in 2023 with a touted capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, has faced recurring disputes with oil sector unions.

Its sister union, NUPENG, also accused the conglomerate of anti-union practices.

Source: https://punchng.com/breaking-dangote-refinery-dispute-pengassan-suspends-strike-after-fg-intervention

PENGASSAN and NUPENG are criminals parading themselves as union, dangote should reinstate and redeploy them as security men in his salt factory. While there Automatically they are no longer eligible to be member of PENGASSAN

Very good news and welcome development. Good both parties have shelved their swords

The Satanic Pengassan should be done away with once and for all

We don hear una. Na everybody can rest. If you think Dangote was fighting for us then you are just deceiving yourself. Dangote was fighting for is business but not for Nigerians. When did Dangote start fighting for we. Cement he did not fight, sugar he did not fight, AGO he did not fight. E reach petrol he said he is fighting for us. he try well well.

Very bad deal for the refinery workers.

Pengassan has death them a bad deal.

They will leave the Refinery where they had a good career path and better job prospects and go to Dangote Salt or Dangote Cement.

And surely they will be victimized in no distant time.

I wonder how Nupeng and Pengassan agreed to this.

It's good to know that both PENGASSAN and Dangote have agreed to shift ground.

Pengassan ur members dey collect free salary and allowances for nnpc refineries wey no dey refine any crude oil.... All d money for maintainance dem Don chop am... Una wan enter dis man business again... God pass una

Softmirror:
DANGOTE NA MAN YOU BE! God will continue to be on our side.

Why are you jumping and celebrating. Did Dangote compromise or not?

bluefilm:
The Satanic Pengassan should be done away with once and for all

you will just type and support but don't know anything. They major grouse of the fighting is Dangote doesn't want union in his refinery,so that he can hire and sack without recourse. Thereby paying them peanuts and careless about them

ddippset:
Very bad deal for the refinery workers.

Pengassan has death them a bad deal.

They will leave the Refinery where they had a good career path and better job prospects and go to Dangote Salt or Dangote Cement.

And surely they will be victimized in no distant time.

I wonder how Nupeng and Pengassan agreed to this.

Both of them came into a compromise. Both shifted grounds. If Dangote fail to keep to his word another strike again and this time the government will blame Dangote for not keeping to the agreement.
By then people we see Dangote for who he is.

If Dangote decides to shut down the refinery today and keeps it shut for even 10years it will not affect him one bit. But pengassan and nupeng who finished the NNPC refineries are here wanting to reap where they did did not sow.

It was an absolutely unnecessary strike. Hopefully, all parties would act better in the future when such issues arise. Kudos to the FG for being proactive in managing the disagreement.

Festus Osifo: the face of the oil and gas cabal is merely grandstanding to save face.

Nigerians and Dangote are the winners.

If only he and his thieving gang can exert the same commitment and energy on their dead refineries, Nigerians would hail him for being patriotic.

He only wants to reap where he never sowed.

Ole!

Barawo!

Onye ohi!

Thiefi-theifi jankoliko!

Armu-robber!

President of check-off dues!


Only thinking about their selfish interests without bothering about the common man on the streets.


God punish devil!




@hotseat

Lol
Last last they folded.
When they saw that they were fast becoming the anti people union.

Breeze have finally blown the fowls nyash wide open! Dangote Thrives on Government sponsored Monopoly while PENGASSAN thrives on illicit fraudulent fuel subsidy schemes that puts coins in their pockets while destroying the entire Nation.

Small thief
Big thief
All of them are thieves.

Stupidity at it's peak..when NUT dey strike does teachers at private schools go on strike?ditto ASUU does lecturers in private university go on strike?when MMA resident doctors goes on strike does it affect the ones at private hospital?the answer is no..why should Dangote private refineries be different it's a private business.

ddippset:
Very bad deal for the refinery workers.

Pengassan has death them a bad deal.

They will leave the Refinery where they had a good career path and better job prospects and go to Dangote Salt or Dangote Cement.

And surely they will be victimized in no distant time.

I wonder how Nupeng and Pengassan agreed to this.

go and build your own refinery and employ Nigerians so that they will be doing chua chua and forming associations to exploit your business. Fraudulent set of people iiishhhh

ddippset:
Very bad deal for the refinery workers.

Pengassan has death them a bad deal.

They will leave the Refinery where they had a good career path and better job prospects and go to Dangote Salt or Dangote Cement.

And surely they will be victimized in no distant time.

I wonder how Nupeng and Pengassan agreed to this.

It's never about the workers but the selfish interests of pengassan leaders who are puppets to the cabals in the oilsector.
Pump attendants are underpayed, tanker drivers are harassed daily on the roads.

Refineries were not working, yet some people received billions in contracts for TAMs no single repairs in refinery was done, pengassan kept mute.
I will love to see them riot when the refineries are sold next year to individuals, maybe Dangote might aquire one.
It's full privatization in 2026 unions will be useless.

FG to the rescue..hope dangote has learnt his lesson

Judolisco:
Pengassan ur members dey collect free salary and allowances for nnpc refineries wey no dey refine any crude oil.... All d money for maintainance dem Don chop am... Una wan enter dis man business again... God pass una

They care not about the productivity and value they bring.

Only takers and destroyers of value.

CyracksMrBlogger:
go and build your own refinery and employ Nigerians so that they will be doing chua chua and forming associations to exploit your business. Fraudulent set of people iiishhhh

Is this what you deduced from my post?

You have got very serious comprehension problems.

But Obidients said FG and Tinubu were behind the strike to enable importation of 'dirty fuel' from Malta. The person wey swear for dis pipu don die

COMRADES, PENGASSAN is an irresponsible organisation, honestly I don't even what they usually stand up for

Oakenshield:
you will just type and support but don't know anything. They major grouse of the fighting is Dangote doesn't want union in his refinery,so that he can hire and sack without recourse. Thereby paying them peanuts and careless about them

Yes, if he chooses to hire and fire, that’s his business. If anyone feels that his employments terms are not acceptable, then such person can jolly well try other places. It’s a privately owned organization and the union leaders do not have the right to shove whatever their jargons down the throat of the organization. The union leaders can go and set up their own refineries and decide what should happen there.

I wonder how some of you with little or no experience, justify or rationalize such rascality. That’s the refinery that serves the entire nation. PENGASSAN comprises of various groups who oppose the refinery and are direct competitors. They use PENGASSAN as their cover and they are largely importers, proven to want to shut down the refinery and continue their very unfair practices.

In the end, they were forced to swallow the hard and bitter pill. They bowed their faces in shame and even still found face to threaten with a renewal of their strike. In just one day, the cost of gas shot up. They forgot that they are Nigerians and their families would require public transport and gas for food. It is truly embarrassing.

ddippset:
Very bad deal for the refinery workers.

Pengassan has death them a bad deal.

They will leave the Refinery where they had a good career path and better job prospects and go to Dangote Salt or Dangote Cement.

And surely they will be victimized in no distant time.

I wonder how Nupeng and Pengassan agreed to this.

They ended up stressing themselves and the rest of the nation. Dangote did not move an inch, I think.
Dangote was requested to absorb the sacked staff into any of his companies. One wonders why they were not requested to resume in the refinery.
PENGASSAN must as a matter of urgency desist from all acts of sabotage against Dangote.

Now senseless Reno should hide his face in shame for criticizing Obi for calling on FG to interven

Oakenshield:
you will just type and support but don't know anything. They major grouse of the fighting is Dangote doesn't want union in his refinery,so that he can hire and sack without recourse. Thereby paying them peanuts and careless about them

The peanuts you're talking about, how much exactly is it?

Can you mention the figures so that we can begin to have an idea how much of a peanut is the peanut?

yarimo:
PENGASSAN and NUPENG are criminals parading themselves as union, dangote should reinstate and redeploy them as security men in his salt factory. While there Automatically they are no longer eligible to be member of PENGASSAN

Yes PENGASSAN are not saint and can be problematic but this time it seems their demands are genuine and patriotic even tho we don't know the details of their issues or demands.

Dangote also should protect his refinery within the ambits of the law.

Oakenshield:
you will just type and support but don't know anything. They major grouse of the fighting is Dangote doesn't want union in his refinery,so that he can hire and sack without recourse. Thereby paying them peanuts and careless about them

Look at the person that knows something but oblivious of Dangote salary structure! If you know know, you should rather keep quiet than mislead the public.

bluefilm:
The peanuts you're talking about, how much exactly is it?

Can you mention the figures so that we can begin to have an idea how much of a peanut is the peanut?

The same peanuts that's in multiples of the regular minimum wage. His drivers earn close to four times the approved minimum wage and imagine him creating about 24,000 jobs in the process and some people are still sad that they are not permitted to dictate to him how he runs his business!