By Chidimma Okwara,
An Abuja court has issued an interim order restraining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and others from halting crude oil and gas supply to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
Key details of the court order and the underlying dispute:
The Order: Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, granted an ex-parte application filed by Dangote Refinery. The order specifically bars PENGASSAN and its affiliates from embarking on an industrial action aimed at cutting off crude oil and gas supply to the refinery.
The order also restrained key regulatory bodies—the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC)—from implementing any directive from PENGASSAN to disrupt the supply lines.
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The judge ruled that the balance of convenience was in favour of the refinery, noting that the continuation of the threatened strike would irreparably damage its business and cripple the provision of essential services to the Nigerian public. The court felt it was necessary to preserve industrial peace and ensure continuous provision of essential services.
The interim order is set to last for seven days, and the case has been adjourned for the hearing of the motion on notice.
PENGASSAN had ordered its members in various oil and gas companies to cut off supplies to the refinery in protest against the alleged sack of over 800 Nigerian workers who, according to the union, were victimised for attempting to unionise or join PENGASSAN. The union accused the refinery management of anti-labour practices.
Dangote Refinery denied the accusations, stating the layoffs were a result of a restructuring to improve safety and prevent sabotage within the facility. The company also argued that PENGASSAN’s directive was illegal, constituted economic sabotage, and that the union had no legal right to interfere with its contracts with third-party vendors for crude and gas supply.
The dispute is considered high-stakes, as the refinery is a multi-billion dollar project intended to significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel and provide essential petroleum products to the public. There has been intervention from the Federal Government and the National Labour Congress (NLC) has also mobilised in support of PENGASSAN.
