Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of engaging in “economic sabotage” following a directive ordering its branches to halt crude oil and gas supply to the refinery.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the refinery described the directive as a “brazen display of lawlessness and criminality,” warning it could trigger fuel scarcity across Nigeria and disrupt supplies of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene, and cooking gas.
According to Dangote Refinery, PENGASSAN on September 26 instructed members in multinational oil firms and subsidiaries such as Chevron, TotalEnergies, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, Renaissance, and NGIC to suspend crude and gas loading operations to the plant “with immediate effect.”
The refinery argued that PENGASSAN lacks legal authority to interfere with contractual agreements between the company and its suppliers. “Absolutely no law gives PENGASSAN the right to cut off gas and crude supplies to Dangote Refinery. It is criminal conduct to disrupt contracts entered into with third-party vendors,” the company said.
It further warned that the move threatens investor confidence, government revenues, and Nigeria’s energy stability. “Dangote Refinery is a strategic national asset, the only refinery of its kind in Africa, and one of Nigeria’s highest taxpayers. It should be safeguarded, not targeted,” the statement read.
The company also accused PENGASSAN of abandoning lawful dispute resolution. “While they previously promised to pursue legal action, they have now embraced mob action that could inflict irreparable hardship on Nigerians,” it added.
Dangote Refinery called on the federal government, security agencies, and Nigerians to resist attempts to disrupt operations, stressing that compliance with the directive would undermine national economic stability and daily survival.
