The recent dismissal of several employees at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has been traced to a WhatsApp group allegedly created by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
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While Dangote Refinery management maintains that the sacking was part of a total re-organisation exercise, sources familiar with the matter said the real reason was the sharing of sensitive operational information with outsiders through the messaging platform.
According to the sources, PENGASSAN officials encouraged employees to join the union and created a WhatsApp group where daily reports on refinery operations were shared. The management reportedly viewed the sharing of confidential information as a serious breach of trust and a threat to refinery operations.
“What put them into trouble is a WhatsApp group. They were sharing reports every day. The content that was going on in the WhatsApp group, and the information they were sharing, is sabotage. That was how the Dangote people took action quickly,” a source said.
The refinery’s Human Asset Management department, in a letter signed by Chief General Manager Femi Adekunle, informed affected staff that their services were no longer required, effective September 25, citing acts of sabotage that posed safety risks and affected operational efficiency.
In response, PENGASSAN directed its members to disrupt refinery operations, including blocking gas supply, in protest of the alleged sack of union members. The union accused the management of anti-labour practices and spreading misinformation.
Dangote Refinery described the union’s actions as illegal and warned that interference with its operations could harm the Nigerian economy. The company also called on federal authorities to intervene.
The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and the federal government subsequently appealed to PENGASSAN to suspend its nationwide strike. On Monday, the National Industrial Court, Abuja, issued an interim order restraining PENGASSAN from continuing its industrial action and cutting crude and gas supply to the refinery.
By Wednesday, PENGASSAN suspended the nationwide strike after reaching an agreement with Dangote management, facilitated by the federal government.
Under the agreement, the union recognised the right of employees to unionise in accordance with Nigerian law. Management also agreed to redeploy the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, ensuring no loss of pay or victimisation arising from the dispute.
The resolution ends a week-long standoff that saw the union shut down key entry points of NNPC Ltd, NMDPRA, and NUPRC, with banners protesting Dangote’s actions displayed at the federal secretariat.
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