The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has officially suspended its strike action after the Federal Government successfully brokered a resolution with the Dangote Group, bringing an end to a labour dispute that had threatened to disrupt Nigeria’s fuel supply chain.
The conflict arose after over 800 workers were reportedly disengaged from the Dangote Refinery, prompting PENGASSAN to issue a directive for the withdrawal of services and the halting of gas supply to the facility.
Following two days of intense negotiations held on Monday and Tuesday in Abuja, a high-level conciliation meeting led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, resulted in a truce. According to a communique released at the end of the talks, the affected workers will be reabsorbed into other subsidiaries of the Dangote Group with no loss of pay.
The Minister, in his opening remarks, stressed the importance of respecting the constitutional rights of workers to unionise. “The right of workers to unionise in accordance with Nigerian law must be respected,” Dr. Dingyadi stated firmly.
The peace talks drew participation from key stakeholders, including the National Security Adviser, ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), and top security officials from the DSS and the NIA.
The communique outlined three major resolutions:
• Reabsorption of Workers: Dangote Group will begin the immediate redeployment of the disengaged staff across its companies, ensuring no loss of income.
• Non-Victimisation: Both parties committed that no employee would be penalised for their involvement in the dispute.
• Suspension of Strike: PENGASSAN confirmed it would initiate the process of calling off the strike with immediate effect.
The communique also affirmed that all parties entered the agreement “in good faith.”
The strike action had sparked national concern over potential disruptions in power generation and fuel availability. In response, the Federal Government had earlier assured Nigerians of uninterrupted fuel supply during the negotiations, highlighting the critical importance of the refinery to national energy security.
While the resolution brings temporary industrial peace, experts warn that underlying labour issues in the oil and gas sector remain unaddressed. Analysts say long-term reforms and stronger dispute resolution frameworks will be essential to prevent future disruptions.
For now, the reabsorption of affected workers and the resumption of normal operations at the refinery signal a positive step towards stability in Nigeria’s energy sector.
