Dangote Refinery Accuses PENGASSAN Of Economic Sabotage After Union Orders Suppliers To Cut Crude And Gas

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of attempting to sabotage Nigeria’s energy supply chain after the union directed its branches to halt crude and gas supplies to the refinery.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the refinery described the 26 September instruction as “a brazen display of lawlessness and criminality,” warning the move could reignite nationwide fuel shortages and disrupt the supply of key petroleum products including petrol, aviation fuel, kerosene, diesel and cooking gas.

According to Dangote, PENGASSAN told its members working at several multinational operators and subsidiaries including TotalEnergies, Seplat, Renaissance, Chevron, Oando, Shell Nigeria Gas and NGIC to stop crude loading operations and cut gas supplies to the facility “with immediate effect.” The refinery said the union has no legal authority to interfere with contracts between the refinery and its suppliers and called any such interference “economic sabotage.”

“There is absolutely no law that gives PENGASSAN the right to direct its branches to ‘cut off’ gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery,” the company said. It argued that the supply contracts were concluded between Dangote and third-party vendors, not with PENGASSAN, and that disrupting those agreements would amount to criminal conduct.

The statement stressed that the refinery billed as the world’s largest single-train refinery and one of Nigeria’s biggest taxpayers is a strategic national asset. Dangote warned the directive undermines investor confidence, threatens revenue flows to federal and state governments, and could inflict “unquantifiable and irredeemable hardship” on Nigerian households and businesses if implemented.

Dangote called on the federal government, security and law-enforcement agencies to intervene and “call the Association to order,” saying the union must not be allowed to “introduce anarchy and mayhem” or to “ride roughshod on Nigerians.” The company also criticised what it called a contradictory stance by PENGASSAN, which it said had earlier pledged to pursue legal action rather than resort to disruptive measures.

The refinery urged Nigerians to resist any attempt to disrupt its operations, warning that compliance with the union’s directive would pause production and supply of essential petroleum products nationwide.