Agboje Chuks
Lagos, Nigeria – The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has terminated the employment of all its Nigerian workers, a decision that closely follows the mass unionization of the staff.
The development comes less than 24 hours after an estimated 90 percent of the Nigerian workforce formally joined the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
This mass sack escalates the ongoing trade dispute between the refinery’s management and the union over the right to unionize.
In an internal memo dated September 25, 2025, and signed by the Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, the company cited a “total re-organisation” of the plant as the reason for the decision.
The memo also referenced reported cases of sabotage in different units of the refinery as a contributing factor.
The notice directed all affected staff to immediately surrender company property to their line managers and obtain an exit clearance.
The finance department has been instructed to compute and process all final benefits and entitlements in line with the terms of employment.
The refinery management concluded the memo by thanking the dismissed workers for their services.
