LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria is bracing for severe economic disruption after the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) began a nationwide strike on Monday, September 29, 2025, halting crude oil and gas supplies and triggering the shutdown of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and most of the country’s thermal power plants.
The union ordered members across offices, agencies, and field locations to down tools following the dismissal of more than 800 workers at the Dangote refinery, accusing the company of anti-union practices and replacing Nigerian staff with foreigners.
“All processes involving gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery should be halted immediately,” read a resolution signed by PENGASSAN General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa.
The union also accused the military of preventing workers from cutting supplies.
The directive has sent shockwaves through the energy sector, with oil marketers warning of imminent fuel shortages and price hikes.
Chinedu Ukadike, spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, said the disruption could erode investor confidence and spark “unnecessary galloping inflation.”
“There is no market stability and no return on investment,” Ukadike said, urging the Minister of Petroleum to end his foreign trip and intervene immediately.
Electricity generation companies (GenCos) confirmed that gas suppliers had instructed them to shut down thermal plants, which account for more than 70 percent of Nigeria’s power supply.
Joy Ogaji, executive secretary of the Association of Power Generation Companies, warned of “imminent darkness, as hydros alone cannot sustain the system.”
The Nigerian Independent System Operator echoed the concern, cautioning that prolonged disruption could destabilise the national grid.
PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo said the strike would not be suspended unless the dismissed workers were reinstated.
“We will not surrender unless the affected workers are re-employed by Dangote,” he declared.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) backed the oil workers, condemning the refinery for “violating workers’ rights” and warning of wider industrial action.
TUC Secretary-General Nuhu Toro demanded reinstatement of staff, a public apology, and an independent investigation.
Consumer groups, however, accused PENGASSAN of politicising the dispute and warned that millions of Nigerians risked being caught in the fallout.
The Dangote Group condemned the strike as “reckless, lawless and dangerous,” insisting the dismissals were based on safety and efficiency concerns rather than union activity.
The company said it remained the country’s largest employer and taxpayer, with more than 3,000 Nigerians still on its payroll.
“The strike is a deliberate attempt to weaponise hardship against Nigerians,” the company said in a statement.
Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi has summoned both sides to an emergency meeting, warning that the strike would cause “revenue losses and hardship for Nigerians.”
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission also appealed for dialogue.
