The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has clarified that more than 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at its $20bn complex, despite an ongoing restructuring of its workforce.
In a statement on Friday, the management dismissed claims of large-scale layoffs, explaining that only a “very small number” of workers were affected by the exercise, which it described as necessary to protect the facility from recurring sabotage.
With an installed capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the refinery said it had uncovered repeated cases of sabotage across sections of the plant, which posed significant safety hazards and threatened the long-term sustainability of what it called a “strategic national asset.”
“This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.
“The foregoing decision was taken in the best interest of the Refinery as a result of intermittent cases of sabotage in the various units of the Refinery with dire consequences on human life and related safety concerns.
“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our Petroleum Refinery, at present. Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process,” the statement signed by management read.
Union dispute emerges amid restructuring
Management also reaffirmed its dedication to creating sustainable jobs for Nigerians through graduate trainee initiatives and experienced hire recruitment, even as the reorganisation goes on.
“We remain vigilant to our internal systems and vulnerabilities to ensure the long-term stability of this strategic national asset. It is imperative to protect the refinery for the benefit of Nigerians, our partners across Africa, and the thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on it.
“We exist to serve Nigerians, strengthen Africa’s energy independence, and create decent, sustainable jobs,” it added, while also noting that employees’ rights under international labour principles, including freedom of association, remain safeguarded.
There were reports that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, on Friday, alleged that Nigerian employees at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals were dismissed soon after joining the union, accusing management of intimidation and violation of constitutional protections.
In a statement signed by branch chairman Abdulfatai Muhammed and branch secretary Eseoghene Choice, PENGASSAN said these incidents occurred within 24 hours of unionisation. The union explained that following the creation of the Caretaker Committee of the Branch Executive Council and submission of the first list of unionised workers to management on September 25, 2025, the company circulated a list to confirm voluntary membership.
PENGASSAN further claimed that intimidation started later that same day when staff buses were withdrawn, forcing workers to spend as much as N4,000 on transport to get to work. The union alleged that between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm, Nigerian employees who had joined PENGASSAN were barred from entering the refinery, while expatriates were permitted access.
“At about 9:59 pm, workers received a mass termination email addressed to ‘all staff’ of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE,” the statement said.
However, a senior official of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals rejected reports of mass dismissals, maintaining that the exercise was a reorganisation targeted at addressing sabotage within the plant.
According to The Punch, the official, who confirmed the authenticity of the disengagement letter, stressed that its meaning had been wrongly interpreted.
“Yes, the letter is correct. But the interpretation is wrong. The interpretation is that it affects some people because of certain things discovered in the refinery. It has nothing to do with unionism or anything like that.
“It doesn’t mean they have been sacked. That is incorrect. What was done was to put a check in place. It is more like a clean-up in the system to check where those sabotage and leakages are coming from and then address them. As soon as the issues are addressed, they will be reabsorbed. That is why it is not a sack, and that word wasn’t used,” the official said.
