Dangote Refinery Terminates Nigerian Workers Amid Sabotage Claims
By Gambo Jagindi
September 26, 2025
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has sparked controversy by terminating the employment of Nigerian workers, a move attributed to repeated acts of sabotage that management says posed significant safety risks and disrupted operational efficiency. In a memo seen by journalists, affected employees were instructed to surrender company property and obtain exit clearance certificates, with benefits computed according to their terms of employment.
The refinery’s management insists the decision was necessary to safeguard the facility, stressing that over 3,000 Nigerian workers continue to be actively employed at the plant. “This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency,” Dangote Refinery stated, framing the action as a “total re-organisation” rather than a mass retrenchment.
Labor unions are up in arms over the development. Festus Osifo, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), confirms workers received termination letters, alleging the move targets those who recently joined the union. “The workers will be recalled,” Osifo assured. PENGASSAN and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had earlier threatened industrial action over what they deem anti-labor policies by Dangote management.
Aluta News reports that Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest oil refinery with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, began production in 2024 amid high expectations for Nigeria’s energy sector transformation. The facility’s industrial relations challenges now draw scrutiny against broader debates on labor rights, unionization, and operational security in Nigeria’s critical energy infrastructure.
The refinery maintains it upholds international labor standards, including respect for workers’ freedom to join unions, even as it pursues measures to protect its operations from alleged disruptive acts. As tensions simmer, stakeholders watch keenly for outcomes of union engagements and potential government interventions.