The Dangote Refinery has re-employed engineers who were sacked last month during a crisis with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Sources confirmed that the engineers are being redeployed to various locations including Borno, Zamfara, Benue, and other states.
Some of the affected engineers, who were still graduate trainees at the time of their dismissal, were invited to collect their re-employment and redeployment letters. According to workers who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, postings include coal projects in Benue, concrete road construction sites in Borno and Ebonyi, and rice processing plants in Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
The workers are required to report to their new assignments within 14 days, failing which they risk losing their employment. Some have already received their letters at the Dangote office in Ikeja, while others have been advised by PENGASSAN to hold on as negotiations continue.
Workers expressed concerns over deployments to remote and potentially insecure locations. They noted that the letters provided no specific office addresses, making compliance difficult and raising security concerns.
An official from the Dangote Group stated that the redeployment was part of an agreement to reassign employees to other business units within the group, either domestically or internationally.
The PENGASSAN strike last month followed allegations that 800 refinery workers were fired for joining the union, a claim the Dangote Refinery disputes. The refinery explained that only a few employees were dismissed due to sabotage, describing the move as part of a reorganization. The strike caused disruptions in oil and gas production and a decline in power generation, but federal intervention restored stability and facilitated the redeployment of affected workers.
In addition to redeployment, the Dangote Group plans to recruit new engineers to replace those reassigned, though some workers have criticized this approach as punitive toward union members.
Speaking recently, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, announced the expansion of the refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. He stated that the project would make the refinery the largest single-train facility in the world. The expansion will create employment for 65,000 workers in construction and operational roles.
Dangote also emphasized the need to amend the Petroleum Industry Act to promote local refining, strengthen domestic energy security, and address current gaps in policy enforcement. He highlighted that the law currently allows crude oil that can be refined locally to be exported under the “willing buyer, willing seller” policy, which he said undermines domestic refining efforts.
As part of its regional strategy, the Dangote Refinery plans to establish a large tank farm in Namibia to serve as a distribution hub for refined petroleum products to countries including Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa. This initiative aims to bridge Africa’s fuel supply gap and reduce dependence on imported products.
President Bola Tinubu affirmed federal government support for the refinery’s expansion during the OTL Africa Downstream Week in Lagos. He noted that the project would not only benefit Nigeria but also serve Africa and the global market. He emphasized that deregulation and liberalization of the downstream sector have promoted healthy competition, affordability, and availability of petroleum products.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Energy, commended platforms like OTL Africa for shaping downstream reforms and attracting investments. He highlighted Lagos’s role as an energy and logistics hub and reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting sustainable energy initiatives.
