Why we refused to sign agreement after meeting with Dangote Refinery — PENGASSAN

News Express |3rd Oct 2025 | 125
Why we refused to sign agreement after meeting with Dangote Refinery — PENGASSAN

Festus Osifo, PENGASSANs National President




The leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), on Thursday, provided more insight into what transpired during a marathon peace meeting that was held to resolve the rift between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery.

The union specifically revealed that it refused to sign the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting because there are “grey areas” in the document, saying the strike was only suspended based on the respect and regards it has for the government and institutions.

Daily Trust reports that both PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery have been at loggerheads following the unionization of some employees working with the refinery.

The company had sacked 800 of its employees and replaced them with foreign nationals from India, according to PENGASSAN – the development both unions in the oil sector frowned at.

While the company premised its decision upon alleged sabotage, the union maintained that Dangote Refinery flouted Labour laws, International Labour Organizations (ILO) conventions and the Nigerian constitution.

Specifically, the development triggered a rapid response from PENGASSAN, whose members shut down export terminals, blocked vessel loading, and locked offices across oil and gas facilities.

After marathon negotiations involving the federal government, labour leaders, and security agencies, a communiqué was signed on Wednesday morning at about 2.30am as Dangote Group agreed to re-fix sacked employees.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment, in a statement on the outcome of the reconciliation meetings, said the parties agreed that the disengaged workers will be absorbed by other subsidiaries in Dangote Group without loss of pay.

However, reacting to what was contained in the document on Thursday when he appeared on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Festus Osifo, PENGASSAN’s President, stressed that there were “grey areas” in the communiqué but stressed that the union suspended the action in good faith.

“If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us,” he said.

He further noted that the communiqué was merely a statement from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, who acted as the chief conciliator.

“When we submitted it to our NEC, we had to decide on priorities. Some media houses claimed we were only interested in check-off dues. That is false. What we prioritized was how our members would return to work and provide for their families.”

Osifo said PENGASSAN’s position remains that the refinery management should immediately reinstate the sacked workers.

He disclosed that Dangote initially refused to reabsorb the disengaged workers until the government intervened and pushed for a compromise, dismissing the refinery’s claims of sabotage by the affected employees. (Daily Trust)




Comments

Post Comment

Friday, October 3, 2025 2:51 PM
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on

GOCOP Accredited Member

GOCOP Accredited member
logo

NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.

Contact

Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State.
+234(0)8098020976, 07013416146, 08066020976
info@newsexpressngr.com

Find us on

Facebook
Twitter

Copyright NewsExpress Nigeria 2025