NLC Rallies Unions for Nationwide Strike as Dangote Refinery Crisis Deepens

The Nigeria Labour Congress has directed all its affiliate unions to commence immediate mobilisation for a nationwide strike against the Dangote Group, accusing the conglomerate of anti-worker practices and union-busting.

The move followed Monday’s strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, which paralysed operations at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. At the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja, the main gate was locked, leaving workers stranded, while activities at the NMDPRA office in the Central Business District were completely shut down. PENGASSAN officials confirmed full compliance across the affected agencies.

The strike came despite an interim injunction issued by the National Industrial Court in Abuja restraining PENGASSAN from halting crude oil and gas supply to the $20bn Dangote Refinery in Lekki. Justice Emmanuel Subilim ruled that the strike would cause irreparable harm to the refinery and the economy, granting a seven-day restraining order pending further hearings on October 13. Dangote had argued that the staff dismissals were the result of a restructuring exercise triggered by sabotage and safety concerns, stressing that over 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the plant.

PENGASSAN, however, dismissed news of the injunction, insisting it had not been officially served. General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa told members to continue with the industrial action until further instructions, warning against relying on information circulated on social media.

At the heart of the dispute are allegations that more than 800 workers at the refinery were sacked for attempting to unionise and replaced with over 2,000 expatriates, mostly from India. Dangote has denied the claim. PENGASSAN responded by cutting off crude and gas supply to the refinery, forcing a temporary shutdown of operations at a facility seen as central to Nigeria’s efforts to reduce fuel imports and stabilise its currency.

In a memo to affiliate unions, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused Dangote Group of waging a “protracted and deliberate anti-worker crusade,” likening its facilities to “plantations of exploitation.” He alleged the conglomerate routinely flouts constitutional rights, labour laws, and international conventions, warning that labour would no longer tolerate “union-busting, worker enslavement, and gross impunity.”

Ajaero directed unions to launch aggressive unionisation drives at all Dangote Group facilities and establish Action Mobilisation Committees within 72 hours to coordinate strategy and logistics with the NLC national secretariat. He described the struggle as a fight for dignity and survival, insisting that organised labour must resist the “regulatory capture” that allows the group to act with impunity.

Support for PENGASSAN has also grown. The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria backed both PENGASSAN and the Trade Union Congress, condemning the dismissals as a violation of workers’ rights and Nigeria’s obligations under International Labour Organisation conventions. The union demanded reinstatement of affected staff and called for an independent probe into the refinery’s labour practices.