Some engineers recently disengaged by the Dangote Refinery for allegedly joining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have expressed anger over plans to redeploy them to other business units within the Dangote Group, including the sugar and cement plants.
According to a report by The PUNCH, some of the workers who spoke with correspondent anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, accused the company of “victimising” them for exercising their right to unionise.
However, the Dangote media team denied the allegations on Wednesday, insisting that “there are PENGASSAN members still working in the refinery.”
PENGASSAN had last week shut down oil and gas facilities between Sunday and Tuesday, alleging that 800 refinery workers were fired for volunteering to join the union.
But the Dangote Refinery dismissed the claim, stating that only “a few workers who were sabotaging the facility” were let go as part of a reorganisation process.
The strike by oil and gas workers led to disruptions in production, losses in the petroleum sector, and a drop in power generation. The intervention of the Federal Government eventually restored calm, with the Dangote Group directed to redeploy the affected workers.
Speaking with The PUNCH, the engineers said they had yet to be recalled or redeployed as of Tuesday.
Sources within the Dangote Group confirmed that the company was preparing to redeploy the engineers to its sugar and cement divisions and recruit new engineers to fill the refinery positions — a move considered by insiders to be a major operational loss.
It was also gathered that some of the 800 affected workers might be posted to Dangote operations outside Nigeria.
But the engineers rejected the plan, arguing that their employment letters clearly stated that they were hired by the refinery and not the Dangote Group. They described the proposed redeployment as “unfair,” saying it was inappropriate to transfer petrochemical engineers to other industries.
“It is victimisation. How will you redeploy us from the refinery to sugar or cement plants? It is not fair. Most of us weren’t employed by the Dangote Group; we were employed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals. If we were employed by the Dangote Group, we would know that we could be redeployed from one unit to another. This is like victimising us. Some of us are petrochemical engineers; how do you want them to cope? It is affecting some of us psychologically,” they said.
The engineers disclosed that they had been at home since September 25 after receiving letters to stay away from work. They said their attempts to access the refinery were blocked by security agents.
“Currently we are at home; we are not allowed to go into the refinery. The management said they would get back to us as far as the redeployments are done, but we have not heard anything so far. There were times when we tried to enter the refinery, but we were sent back. There are pictures of those incidents,” they said.
They further alleged that Indian nationals were currently the only ones operating the refinery.
“At the moment, only Indians are running the refinery. All Nigerian engineers were sacked because we joined PENGASSAN,“ they alleged.
The refinery had earlier refuted this claim, saying, “Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our petroleum refinery at present. Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process.”
The engineers also said their decision to join PENGASSAN stemmed from poor remuneration, revealing that their monthly pay was about ₦400,000 before deductions.
“We wouldn’t have joined PENGASSAN if we were well paid. Our salary is around ₦400,000, and after deductions, it falls below that.
“We didn’t plan to join PENGASSAN; the management announced it themselves that workers were free to unionise. We joined PENGASSAN, and it became an issue,” they said.
They dismissed the allegation of sabotage, insisting that they were loyal to the success of the $20 billion refinery project.
“We cannot sabotage the refinery. We love the refinery. Some of us built it from the beginning. How can we sabotage what we built? It is not possible. We’ve been very committed, and we were doing everything to ensure the success of the plant for the good of all Nigerians.
“As it is, we are all waiting for our posting letters. There’s nothing we can do now because the issue has become a national issue. The presidency is now involved. But we are not guilty of anything. Our only ‘crime’ is that we joined PENGASSAN,” they said.
The Dangote Group has again denied the allegations made by the affected engineers, insisting they were dismissed for acts of sabotage and not for joining PENGASSAN.
A senior official of the company said, “Those guys were sacked because of their acts of sabotage. Nobody is victimising them. Their September salary has been paid. Can we call that victimisation? They were not sacked for joining PENGASSAN. We have PENGASSAN members still working with us.
“They should also know that all of us in Dangote can be moved to anywhere within the company. You can be moved from cement to refinery, sugar, salt or fertiliser. That is the business. Many of us have been moved in the past,” the official said.
He also dismissed claims that engineers earned below ₦400,000 monthly, calling it “an outright falsehood.”
“The claim of a ₦400,000 monthly salary is an outright falsehood; it is far more than that,” he emphasised.
The Dangote Refinery has faced multiple labour and industry disputes in recent weeks.
It first came under fire from the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), who accused the refinery of “monopolistic practices and unfair pricing” after slashing petrol prices.
NUPENG also clashed with the refinery over workers’ rights, alleging that Dangote prevented tanker drivers from joining unions. The association subsequently shut down the refinery and fuel depots despite a government-brokered truce.
The situation worsened when PENGASSAN joined the fray, condemning the alleged mass dismissal of hundreds of workers. The union ordered members to halt crude and gas supplies nationwide, triggering fuel shortages and production losses.
Although government intervention calmed the crisis, stakeholders are awaiting the full implementation of the resolutions reached during the conciliation meeting.