The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) recently suspended a nationwide industrial strike targeting the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, following two days of intensive conciliation meetings facilitated by the Federal Government. The dispute arose after the Dangote Refinery disengaged over 800 workers, a move PENGASSAN attributed to their efforts to unionise.

These critical meetings, held on September 29 and 30, 2025, were convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, and involved various high-level government officials, security agencies, and representatives from organised labour.

During the conciliation, PENGASSAN clarified that its directives to halt gas supply to Dangote Petroleum and withdraw services were a direct response to the termination of its over 800 members' appointments. Conversely, the management of Dangote Refinery maintained that the job cuts were part of an "ongoing reorganisation in the company."

After extensive deliberations, a significant compromise was reached. Minister Dingyadi announced that Dangote Group management would "immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay." The agreement also strongly stipulated that no worker would face victimisation for their participation in the industrial dispute, and the right to unionisation for workers in Nigeria was reaffirmed.

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, later explained that the union's decision to suspend the strike was primarily driven by respect for the Nigerian government and its institutions, including the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the diligent efforts of the Chief Reconciliator of the Federation and ministers.

While acknowledging the suspension, Osifo conveyed the association's dissatisfaction with certain terms of the agreement, specifically that it did not fully address their main demand of directly recalling the 800 sacked Nigerians to the refinery. He issued a stern warning that PENGASSAN would resume its industrial action immediately and without further notice should Dangote fail to uphold its part of the agreement.

The two-day strike had significant implications, impacting the gas and crude supply to the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery and consequently affecting Nigeria’s oil downstream sector, prompting the swift intervention by the Federal Government. This industrial action highlighted the ongoing tensions between labour unions and corporate management regarding workers' rights and employment security, particularly concerning the right to unionise as enshrined in Nigerian law.