The Federal Government is appealing to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to suspend its planned nationwide strike set to begin on Monday over its escalating dispute with Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, made the appeal in a statement on Sunday, warning that the strike could trigger heavy revenue losses, economic instability, and increased hardship for Nigerians.
According to a statement signed by the ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia, the minister confirmed that invitations have been sent to both the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery for an emergency conciliation meeting in his office on Monday.
“The Ministry of Labour and Employment, through the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, has extended invitations to the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery to attend a conciliation meeting in my office on Monday,” Dingyadi said.
He urged both parties to consider the vital role of the petroleum sector in Nigeria’s economy, stressing that a shutdown would have far-reaching impacts on economic stability and national security.
The intervention comes as PENGASSAN mobilises its members for an indefinite strike in protest of the alleged dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers at the refinery—a claim the Dangote Group denies, describing the recent staff reorganisation as a limited safety-related exercise.
