The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is facing a major internal shake-up following the termination of several workers’ employment amid an escalating rift with the country’s powerful oil unions.
The development comes after weeks of tension between the refinery’s management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as well as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) over unionisation rights.
The dispute deepened after a government-mediated meeting on September 9, 2025, where Dangote management and NUPENG signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) affirming the constitutional right of refinery workers to join unions.
However, barely hours after the agreement, NUPENG accused the company of acting in bad faith, alleging that Dangote ordered truck drivers to remove union stickers from their vehicles before loading operations could proceed.
The situation quickly spiraled into a heated exchange of accusations between the refinery and union leaders, creating uncertainty around the plant’s industrial relations. Tensions reached a new height when a leaked internal memo revealed a sweeping re-organisation within the refinery.
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The memo, signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, cited “recent cases of reported sabotage in different units” that posed serious safety risks as the reason for the drastic measures.
“As a consequence of this development, we wish to inform you that your services are no longer required, with effect from the eve of Thursday, the 25th September, 2025,” the memo stated. It instructed affected employees to return all company property, obtain exit clearance, and await details on when to surrender their items. The finance department was also directed to calculate and pay out benefits and entitlements once clearance was completed.
An insider at the refinery confirmed the authenticity of the memo but declined to provide further details, noting that the company was preparing an official statement, which had not been released at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, PENGASSAN president Festus Osifo has assured the affected workers that the union will fight to reverse the mass termination, describing the move as unacceptable.
The refinery, a flagship project of the Dangote Group and one of Africa’s largest private oil refineries, remains under close public and industry scrutiny as the labour dispute threatens to disrupt operations.
This latest development highlights the growing tension between labour rights and corporate policies within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with stakeholders watching closely for the next steps in what could become a landmark industrial face-off.
