The nationwide industrial action launched by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Monday brought operations to a complete standstill, severely disrupting activities at key oil and gas regulatory institutions, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The union’s National Executive Council had earlier given a directive over the weekend, instructing members to halt all activities across major agencies in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
TVC observed that at the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja, the main entrance was shut, keeping several employees stranded outside the premises, as security operatives on duty confirmed that a directive. The union states that no staff were allowed entry.
Similarly, operations were entirely halted at the NMDPRA headquarters, which is situated in the busy Central Business District. This complete disruption was a direct result of the workforce fully complying with the ongoing industrial action.
Tony Iziogba, the PENGASSAN Chairman at the NMDPRA, informed reporters that the union had achieved “100 per cent compliance” with the strike directive. This compliance successfully restricted access for both staff and visitors to the facilities.
He added that the union also ensured 100 per cent compliance at the NNPCL and other relevant agencies.
PENGASSAN stated that the industrial action was unavoidable, attributing the strike to the alleged wrongful dismissal of approximately 800 workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
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The instruction from the union to stop the supply of crude oil and gas to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has triggered widespread concern across the energy sector. Oil marketers are issuing warnings of severe disruptions to fuel distribution, forecasting that this move will constrain the domestic market, consequently escalating demand and prices.
TVC previously reported that the face-off between oil workers’ union PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery has escalated, as the union orders a nationwide withdrawal of services following the sack of over 800 workers.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, described the recent mass sack of Nigerian workers at Dangote Refinery, a violation of labour rights and a dangerous precedent.
In a strongly worded statement, the union alleges that Nigerians were dismissed for joining PENGASSAN and replaced with over 2,000 foreign nationals, describing the move as an “enslavement of Nigerian workers.”
PENGASSAN Declares Nationwide Strike Over ‘Mass Sack’ Of 800 Workers at Dangote Refinery
