By Charles Maduka
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has urged Dangote Refinery to reinstate workers allegedly dismissed for joining trade unions, describing the action as a breach of constitutional rights and a threat to industrial peace.
In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Sani also appealed to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria to suspend its directive to cut off gas supply to the refinery, warning that such a move could hurt national economic interests.
He wrote that Dangote should recall the workers sacked for their decision to join unions and called on PENGASSAN to suspend its plan to halt gas supply to the refinery.
The call comes amid growing tensions between Dangote Refinery and organised labour. PENGASSAN had alleged that over 800 workers were dismissed for union activities and replaced with foreign workers, a move the union says violates Nigeria’s labour laws and international conventions.
Dangote Refinery, however, accused PENGASSAN of sabotage and selfish motives, insisting that the dismissals were based on safety and efficiency concerns, not anti-union victimisation. The company said more than 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the facility.
Sani, a human rights activist and former Senate Committee Chairman on Local and Foreign Debts, stressed that while the refinery is a major national asset, it must operate within the laws of the country and respect workers’ rights.
With PENGASSAN’s strike already underway and operations at the refinery potentially affected, the federal government has called a meeting to find a swift resolution and prevent a wider industrial crisis in the oil and gas sector.
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