BREAKING: Dangote Refinery Sacks All Nigerian Workers Less Than 24 Hours After Joining PENGASSAN

• Dangote Petroleum Refinery has “terminated the employment of all its Nigerian workers” in what it described as a “total re-organisation” of the plant.

• The move came less than 24 hours after 90% of the staff reportedly joined PENGASSAN, sparking controversy over unionization.

The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has terminated the employment of all its Nigerian workers.

The statement was revealed on X, Wednesday, by political commentator Imran Wakili, who wrote: “Dangote Refinery has officially laid off all of its Nigerian workers under the guise of ‘reorganization’, less than 24 hours after 90% of them joined PENGASSAN.”

According to Wakili, the mass sack followed the decision of over 90 percent of the workers to join the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

In a memo dated September 25, 2025, and signed by the Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, the company explained that the move was part of a “total re-organisation” of the plant, citing reported cases of sabotage in different units of the refinery.

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The notice instructed affected workers to hand over all company property to their line managers and obtain exit clearance, while the finance department was directed to compute benefits and entitlements for settlement.

The refinery’s management also expressed appreciation to the dismissed staff for their services during their time with the company.

Reports indicate that Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN have been locked in a trade dispute over the issue of unionization.