The Dangote Refinery has re-employed and redeployed several engineers who were dismissed last month following a dispute between the company and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Sources told that the affected engineers some of whom were still graduate trainees at the time of their dismissal have now been reassigned to various Dangote Group projects across the country, including Benue, Borno, Zamfara, Ebonyi, and Kebbi States.
According to documents seen by The PUNCH, the engineers were issued letters titled “Offer of Trainee Engagement” under Dangote Projects Limited. The letters required recipients to report to their new locations within 14 days or risk losing the offer. One letter read partly:
“We are pleased to engage you as Engineer Trainee (Mechanical Engineering) for the coal project at Okpokwu, Benue State… You will undergo classroom and hands-on training for two years, reviewed periodically.”
The letters were signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager, Human Asset Management.
However, some engineers expressed concern over the redeployments, citing lack of clarity about their reporting offices and the insecurity in the assigned regions. “There’s no clear address or existing office in some of those states,” one worker said. “We’re being asked to report to non-existent sites.”
PENGASSAN has reportedly advised the affected workers not to accept the new postings pending further discussions with management.
The standoff began when PENGASSAN alleged that the refinery had dismissed about 800 employees for joining the union. Dangote Group, however, maintained that only a few staff members involved in acts of sabotage were affected, describing the move as part of a reorganisation exercise. Following government intervention, the refinery agreed to redeploy rather than terminate the workers.
Meanwhile, Dangote Group President Alhaji Aliko Dangote announced plans to expand the refinery’s capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day, potentially making it the world’s largest single-train refinery.
He also expressed support for proposed amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), saying they would strengthen local refining and attract investment. “Revisiting the PIA will open up opportunities for indigenous refiners,” Dangote said. “Only crude oil unsuitable for local refining should be exported.”
Dangote also revealed plans to construct a tank farm in Namibia to serve as a distribution hub for refined petroleum products across Southern Africa, including Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, pledged federal support for the refinery’s expansion, commending Dangote’s role in Nigeria’s energy sector transformation. “At 1.4 million barrels per day, this refinery will serve not just Nigeria, but the entire continent,” Tinubu said.
The National Assembly is currently reviewing proposed amendments to the PIA to boost local refining and realign regulatory powers.
However, both PENGASSAN and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have opposed certain changes, warning that they could undermine the stability of the oil sector.
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