By Paul Ejime
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has clarified its position on the sacking of an undisclosed number of Nigerian workers, mainly truck drivers who reportedly joined national industrial unions.
“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our Petroleum Refinery, at present. Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process,” the management said in a statement on Friday, 25 September 2025, without giving the exact number.
The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had threatened to shut down the refinery over what they called “anti-labour policy” of the management of the refinery.
The industrial unions and some oil marketers are up in arms after the refinery acquired 4,000 trucks and decided to supply refined petroleum products free to filling stations, effectively removing the extra charges often added to mark up the pump price and passed on to the final consumer.
Some NUPENG and PENGASSAN members working with the Dangote refinery were said to have downed tools in compliance with the Unions’ directive.
This led to the termination of the employment of an undisclosed number of Nigerian workers.
The memo sent to the affected refinery workers read: “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.
On Friday, the management explained that “The foregoing decision was taken in the best interest of the Refinery as a result of intermittent cases of sabotage in the various units of the Refinery with dire consequences on human life and related safety concerns.
“We remain vigilant to our internal systems and vulnerabilities to ensure the long-term stability of this strategic national asset. It is imperative to protect the refinery for the benefit of Nigerians, our partners across Africa, and the thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on it.”
“We recognise and uphold internationally accepted labour principles, including the right of every worker to freely decide whether or not to join a union. Our commitment to workers’ rights is unwavering.”
Continuing, the statement said: “The Dangote Petroleum Refinery exists to serve Nigerians, to strengthen Africa’s energy independence, and to create decent, sustainable jobs. We will continue to work in partnership with our employees, regulators, and stakeholders to uphold the highest standards of safety, transparency, and accountability.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery is part of the Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), owned by Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, which has made the group a major player in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The 20US$-billion refinery, which came on stream in 2024, has 650,000 litres per day production capacity, enough to meet Nigeria’s domestic consumption and surplus for export.
It is the World’s largest single-train refinery, and one of a score of private refineries licensed by the Nigerian government to end the embarrassing development of an oil-producing nation relying on imported petroleum products after four state-owned refineries were run aground, resulting in incessant hardship and domestic shortages.
Nigeria’s oil industry is a cesspool of corruption characterised by opaque transactions.
A so-called “oil cabal,” making a kill from the deals, is said to be fighting to protect their interests but denying the Nigerian masses the benefits of God-given natural resources.
An Award-winning Journalist, Paul Ejime is a Media/Communications Specialist and Global Affairs Analyst
