Dangote Petroleum Refinery has sharply criticized the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), accusing the unions of prioritizing their own financial interests rather than advocating for workers’ welfare. The company’s accusations come in response to renewed threats of industrial action by the unions, which it contends could jeopardize Nigeria’s energy sector and national development.
The refinery, through a statement issued on Monday by Internal Communication Specialist Abiodun Allade, claimed that both unions are motivated by the pursuit of monthly check-off dues. Citing remarks by PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo during a recent television interview, Dangote alleged that union officials moved to collect dues from workers just one day after their purported unionization. “If we must believe Mr. Osifo’s account… the PENGASSAN oligarchs could not even wait for 24 hours after the purported unionization before demanding for their monthly check-off dues,” the statement noted.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery further challenged PENGASSAN, TUC, and affiliated organizations—including NUPENG—to publish their financial records. The company argued that there has been little accountability regarding how unions manage the funds collected from workers. “Meanwhile, none of these unions—PENGASSAN, TUC, NUPENG, and its other unnamed co-travellers—bother to give an account to their members and the Nigerian public of these monthly check-off dues. We only see the proof of these check-off dues’ payments in their lavish and opulent lifestyles,” the refinery stated.
The company specifically demanded that the TUC join PENGASSAN and NUPENG in releasing a 10-year audited account for public scrutiny. “Surely, the workers in whose name they all purport to be working deserve to know what the unions have been doing with their monthly check-off dues,” the statement said.
Describing the refinery as a “national asset that requires our collective protection and prayers,” Dangote warned that any union actions threatening its operations could harm the country’s energy supply and broader development goals. The company said it views the unions’ calls for industrial action as an attempt to plunge Nigeria “into utter darkness and anarchy,” urging all stakeholders to focus on safeguarding the refinery’s integrity over advancing union leaders’ financial interests.
In its statement, Dangote also took aim at the Trade Union Congress, labeling its declaration of “full solidarity” with PENGASSAN as “zombie-like” and criticizing the union for threatening a nationwide strike without first verifying claims against the refinery. “We are told that he who hears only from one side and passes judgment without hearing the other side is a fool. Unfortunately, the Trade Union Congress has placed itself in that position,” the statement read.
