Author: kayode amuda

Dangote Refinery has condemned the directive by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) ordering its members to halt gas and crude supply to the facility, describing the move as an act of economic sabotage.

The oil company made this known in a statement on Saturday.

This comes after PENGASSAN hit back at Dangote Refinery for sacking over 800 workers belonging to the union.

In a swift response to the demand for reversal of the sack, PENGASSAN had asked its members across the country to cut off gas and crude supply to the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery.

However, in a lengthy statement, Dangote Refinery described the move as a “criminal and illicit affront” against what it described as a national asset.

“The follow-up question is, in whose interest and on whose behalf is PENGASSAN directing and intending to inflict such anarchic and criminal disruption upon the Nigerian society and persons living in Nigeria? Most certainly not in the interest of the Nigerian State and/or the Nigerian public and citizens.

“This is also economic sabotage against the Nigerian State at multiple levels.

“Dangote Refinery is the only refinery of its type in Africa and ordinarily should be the pride of Nigerians and the government. Indeed qualifies as a strategic national asset. An irreparable injury to the Dangote Refinery, such as PENGASSAN has directed, constitutes a national embarrassment to all of us.

“The directive is a disincentive to external investors who ordinarily would have been encouraged by the success of Dangote Refinery to contemplate investing in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector or generally,” the company said.

It further urged the Federal Government to call the union to order.

“We are, by this write-up, drawing the attention of the Federal Government and its security and law enforcement agencies – as well as all other levels of government in Nigeria – to this criminal, lawless, reckless and irresponsible conduct of PENGASSAN and calling on them – the Federal Government and its agencies, in particular – to call the Association to order.”

Meanwhile, the company remained silent on what PENGASSAN termed an unjust treatment meted out to Nigerian workers through arbitrary termination of appointment.

Recall that PENGASSAN had vowed to take all necessary action to ensure that the ill-treatment against Nigerian workers by the refinery is addressed.