The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has initiated a major reorganisation of its operations and staff structure.
The refinery said the decision was taken in response to repeated sabotage by staff members that threatened the operational safety of the 650,000 barrels per day facility.
In a letter dated September 24, 2025, and signed by the Chief General Manager, Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, the refinery said it was “constrained to carry out a total reorganisation of the plant” following “many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the Petroleum Refinery leading to major safety concerns.”
Affected staff were directed to hand over all company property to their line managers and await clearance before receiving their entitlements, which the Finance Department would compute in line with their conditions of service.
However, a senior official of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals dismissed reports that the company sacked workers en masse, insisting that the recent development was a reorganisation exercise aimed at curbing sabotage within the plant.
Speaking to The PUNCH on Friday, the official, who confirmed the authenticity of the disengagement letter, stressed that its interpretation had been largely misrepresented.
“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,” the official said.
According to him, the move was designed to plug leakages and protect the company’s assets following repeated acts of sabotage.
“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,” he explained.
He added that the exercise was carried out suddenly to prevent those involved in the alleged sabotage from concealing their actions.
“Some acts of sabotage have been noticed repeatedly and the company is only trying to safeguard its assets. Also, you cannot do things like this and give two weeks’ notice; otherwise, those in the act would cover up and complicate issues,” he said.
The official further clarified that refinery operations were ongoing and that both Nigerians and expatriates were still actively working at the plant.
“As we speak, people are still working at the refinery. The people affected know themselves, and those who did not get the letter are not affected. Anyone who doesn’t have a hand in sabotage has nothing to worry about,” he stressed.
When contacted, Dangote spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, did not respond to messages sent to him by our correspondent
