SHEHU SANI URGES DANGOTE REFINERY TO REINSTATE SACKED WORKERS
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By Sunmisola Shodayo
A former legislator from Kaduna State, Senator Shehu Sani, has urged the administration of Dangote Refinery to promptly reinstate employees reportedly terminated for joining trade unions, characterizing this action as a breach of constitutional rights and a menace to industrial harmony.
In a statement disseminated through his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, Sani also beseeched the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria to retract its directive to suspend gas supply to the refinery, cautioning that such a measure could adversely impact national economic interests.
He stated, “Dangote should recall the workers sacked because of their decision to join their trade unions. PENGASSAN should suspend their decision to cut off gas supply to the Dangote Refinery.”
This intervention arises amidst escalating tensions between the refinery’s management and organized labor. PENGASSAN has claimed that over 800 employees were let go for joining the union—an act the association contends violates Nigeria’s labor regulations and international treaties.
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The union has since declared a nationwide cessation of operations, which includes the suspension of gas and crude supply to the refinery, while accusing the company of replacing Nigerian workers with “over 2,000 Indians,” eliciting indignation among labor advocates and civil society.
In response, Dangote Refinery accused PENGASSAN of engaging in sabotage and pursuing self-serving agendas, referencing the union’s historical resistance to reforms and privatization efforts.
The company labeled the strike directive as “reckless, lawless and dangerous,” asserting that it was intended to weaponize hardship against Nigerians.
It maintained that the terminations were motivated by safety and efficiency considerations rather than anti-union discrimination, adding that over 3,000 Nigerians continue to be employed at the facility.
Sani, a human rights advocate and former chair of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, underscored that while the refinery constitutes a vital national asset, it must function within the parameters of Nigeria’s labor laws and uphold workers’ rights.
“The nation is proud of Dangote’s refinery and its unprecedented level of success, but the right of workers to unionise is embedded in the laws of our country,” he stated.
With PENGASSAN’s strike action already in effect and operations at the Dangote Refinery potentially compromised, the federal government has convened a meeting for today (Monday) to facilitate a prompt resolution and avert a more extensive industrial crisis in the nation’s oil and gas sector.
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