The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has declared a nationwide strike, instructing its members across the oil and gas sector to withdraw their services from Monday, 29 September 2025.
The union reached this decision during its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday. It said the action became necessary to escalate its confrontation with Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals over alleged anti-labour practices.
Strike Timeline and Directives
According to the NEC resolution, members stationed in field locations will stop work at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, and begin a 24-hour prayer vigil. Furthermore, starting from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29, all members in offices, companies, institutions, and agencies nationwide must fully withdraw their services.
The union also instructed members to suspend all control room activities, panel duties, and outfield operations. However, it noted that interventions would only be allowed if personnel or assets faced safety risks, and even then, members must obtain clearance from the National Secretariat.
Targeting Dangote Refinery
In addition, PENGASSAN ordered an immediate halt to all gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery. It also directed International Oil Companies (IOCs) to reduce production and suspend gas deliveries to the refinery and its petrochemical facilities.
The union emphasised that the strike carried both industrial and moral weight. It urged members to use the 24-hour vigil to pray for Nigeria’s leaders, asking God to give them courage to compel Dangote and his associates to obey national labour and regulatory laws.
“No man is bigger than our country. An injury to one is an injury to all,” the NEC statement concluded.
Wider Implications
This latest directive marks a sharp escalation in the refinery’s ongoing labour dispute. Because PENGASSAN members hold critical roles across Nigeria’s upstream and downstream operations, the strike threatens to disrupt oil production, refining, and fuel distribution nationwide.