PENGASSAN suspends strike, warns Dangote against breach of agreement

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its nationwide strike over the dismissal of more than 800 workers from the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company.

PENGASSAN President, Comrade Festus Osifo, announced the suspension on Wednesday in Abuja, explaining that the union took the decision out of respect for the federal government and Nigerians.

He, however, warned that the strike would resume without notice if the refinery’s management reneges on its agreement to recall the affected staff.

Osifo dismissed claims that the union’s action was motivated by financial interests such as check-off dues, insisting that the strike was solely to protect young oil and gas workers who voluntarily joined the union.

He urged the federal government to ensure Dangote’s management upholds the agreement, cautioning that any reversal could provoke a wider backlash across the oil and gas industry.

The truce followed a late-night meeting of industry stakeholders at the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), where an agreement was reached to halt the industrial action.