ABUJA, Nigeria — The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its nationwide strike following a resolution brokered by the federal government with the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Festus Osifo, president of PENGASSAN, announced the suspension at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, cautioning that the union would resume industrial action without notice if the terms of the agreement were breached.
“We are suspending and will be monitoring closely,” Osifo said.
“Any slip on the part of Dangote, any part of this agreement, or any communiqué put out by the ministry of labour that is broken, we will not give any notice; we will resume this suspended industrial action.”
The strike, which began earlier in the week, was triggered by the dismissal of more than 800 workers by Dangote refinery, according to the union.
PENGASSAN described the move as a violation of workers’ rights, despite a court order halting the industrial action.
The refinery acknowledged that job cuts had taken place but insisted “only a small number were affected,” describing the move as part of an internal reorganisation.
The deadlock prompted intervention by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Following talks, the Dangote Group agreed to redeploy the workers laid off by its refinery subsidiary.
The resolution was welcomed by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which had earlier threatened to join the strike unless the affected workers were reinstated.
The industrial action had raised fears of fuel shortages and widespread blackouts, as PENGASSAN had directed members to halt crude oil and gas supplies to the Dangote facility, alongside shutdowns at thermal power stations.
