“Dangote Ordered Our Arrest, Allows Indians and Pakistanis Into Refinery” – Nigerian Workers

Workers at Dangote Refinery have accused the company’s president, Aliko Dangote, of discriminatory practices and intimidation targeting Nigerian employees. In a letter obtained by newmen, members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) at the refinery alleged that Dangote instructed security personnel to bar Nigerian workers from entering the facility, while allowing Indians, Pakistanis, and other expatriates access.

The letter, signed by Abdulfaitai Muhammed and Eseoghene Choice, leaders of the refinery branch, also revealed that employees were informed via email of the withdrawal of staff buses and later received mass termination notices. The workers claimed that the company directed its security team to arrest and detain union leaders, describing the actions as intimidation linked to their voluntary membership in PENGASSAN.

According to the letter, management sought to verify staff union membership and then restricted access to those who had joined PENGASSAN. Employees reported paying out-of-pocket for transport when company buses were suddenly declared “under maintenance.” The mass termination emails addressed to “All Staff” were sent late Wednesday evening.

The workers described these measures as violations of Section 40 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of assembly and association. The letter warned of potential further dismissals and called for urgent intervention from union leadership.

Dangote Refinery confirmed the mass terminations in a statement on Friday. The incident comes just hours after SK Blog reported that the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery had sacked Nigerian workers due to their PENGASSAN membership. PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo vowed that the affected employees would be reinstated, while the union convened an emergency National Executive Council meeting to address the crisis.