Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has denied reports of mass layoffs at its 650,000 barrels-per-day facility, insisting that its recent workforce shake-up was a reorganisation exercise aimed at tackling sabotage and safeguarding operations.
The company confirmed it had embarked on a restructuring of its operations following repeated acts of sabotage that raised major safety concerns within the refinery. In a letter dated September 24, 2025, and signed by the Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, management explained that it was “constrained to carry out a total reorganisation of the plant” after “many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the Petroleum Refinery.”
Staff members affected by the move were directed to return company property and obtain clearance before their entitlements would be processed in line with their conditions of service.
However, a senior refinery official dismissed claims of mass sackings, stressing that the exercise was not a termination of employment but a measure to identify and eliminate acts of sabotage.
“Yes, the letter is correct, but the interpretation is wrong. It affects some people because of certain things discovered in the refinery. It has nothing to do with unionism or anything like that,” the official told The Punch on Friday.
The official further explained that the reorganisation was carried out suddenly to prevent those implicated from covering their tracks, adding that affected employees could be reabsorbed once the issues were resolved.
He clarified that operations at the refinery remain uninterrupted and that both Nigerian and expatriate staff continue to work at the plant.
Since its commissioning in 2024, the refinery has faced operational turbulence and industrial disputes despite being projected as a game-changer for Nigeria’s decades-long dependence on imported petroleum products.