The Federal Government has successfully brokered an agreement between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, following two days of intense conciliation meetings in Abuja.
The talks, which were convened by the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, held on Monday, 29th and Tuesday, 30th September 2025, came on the heels of PENGASSAN’s directive to halt gas supply to the Dangote Refinery and withdraw the services of its members.
The union had justified its action as a direct response to what it described as the unlawful termination of over 800 of its members by the refinery’s management. But the Dangote Group, in its defense, told the meeting that the disengagement was purely a product of an ongoing reorganization exercise within the company.
The conciliation was attended by high-ranking officials of government, security chiefs, labour leaders and industry regulators.
Among them were the National Security Adviser; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning; Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS); Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, representing the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas); as well as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Also present were the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), alongside representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the President and Secretary-General of PENGASSAN.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, at the meeting reaffirmed that ‘unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and this right should be respected.’ He stressed that no employer has the authority to deny or undermine this constitutional guarantee.
After hours of back-and-forth negotiations, a breakthrough was reached. It was agreed that the Dangote Group would immediately commence the process of redeploying the disengaged workers to other companies within the conglomerate without any loss of pay.
The government further assured that no worker would suffer victimisation for their role in the dispute, while PENGASSAN committed to initiating the process of calling off the strike.
The communique in full reads; ‘Sequel to the Notice to stop gas supply to Dangote Petroleum Refinery and withdrawal of services by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria [PENGASSAN], The National Security Adviser, Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, DG DSS, DG NIA, Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources [Gas] represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Chief Executives of NMDPRA and NUPRC, representatives of NNPCL held conciliation meetings with management of Dangote Group and the President and Secretary General TUC and leadership of PENGASSAN on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th September, 202
‘Whereas the leadership of PENGASSAN said that the directives given to stop the supply of gas to Dangote Petroleum and withdrawal of services was in response to the termination of appointment of over Eight Hundred members of PENGASSAN by the management of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical on the other hand, explained the reason for disengagement of the workers was as a result of the ongoing reorganization in the company.
‘After a lengthy discussion, the matter was resolved as follows: The Honourable Minister of Labour informed the meeting that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected.
‘After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay.
‘No worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.
‘PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith.’