The National Industrial Court in Abuja has issued an interim order stopping the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and key regulators from cutting crude oil and gas supply to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE amid an escalating labour dispute.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim, ruling on an ex parte application filed by the refinery, restrained PENGASSAN, 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 enforcing any supply cuts.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria George Ibrahim, representing the refinery, argued that recent incidents of sabotage at the plant raised grave safety concerns and necessitated a reorganisation that led to the termination of some employees. He stressed that the company, with over 3,000 Nigerians on its workforce, only dismissed a “negligible number” of staff, contrary to union claims that over 800 workers were laid off for unionising.
PENGASSAN, through its General Secretary Lamumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, had threatened to take actions that would cripple the refinery unless the dismissed workers were reinstated.
In his ruling, Justice Subilim held that the balance of convenience favoured the refinery, warning that an industrial shutdown would irreparably damage its operations and disrupt essential services to the Nigerian public.
The restraining order is to last seven days, with the matter adjourned to October 13, 2025 for hearing of the substantive motion.
