KEY POINTS

• The Pengassan–Dangote rift intensified after salaries for dismissed engineers were halted.

• Many affected workers rejected redeployment to other Dangote projects.

• Pengassan is pursuing dialogue to calm the Pengassan–Dangote rift.

The dispute between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has entered a more troubled phase as the company halted the salaries of engineers dismissed in September.

The stoppage widened the Pengassan–Dangote rift, which began during the refinery’s confrontation with the union earlier in the year.

Pengassan–Dangote rift over redeployment

Pengassan said it is holding talks with the Dangote Group to stop the disagreement from spiralling into another industry-wide shutdown. The union has pushed for a negotiated fix instead of a fresh strike that could destabilise oil and gas operations.

Investigations by The PUNCH showed the salary freeze followed the refusal of many engineers to accept their redeployment to states including Zamfara, Borno, Benue, and Sokoto. Some workers said they were reassigned to a coal mine in Benue, concrete road construction sites in Borno and Ebonyi, and rice-processing plants in Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara. They spoke anonymously due to concerns about retaliation.

While a handful of the affected staff members took the new postings, most declined. Many leaned on Pengassan’s assurances that the issue would be resolved when discussions resumed.

Salaries withheld as Pengassan–Dangote rift persists

By October, the company cut wages for the engineers as a warning before stopping their November pay entirely. A senior Dangote Group official confirmed that the refinery would not continue funding salaries for those who rejected available redeployment options. The official questioned why the company should continue paying people who turned down the roles.

Workers have called the non-payment a form of punishment. The senior official, who did not want his name published, insisted the company offered alternative roles across other Dangote operations. He said several of those who accepted have already resumed work.

According to Punch, Pengassan had earlier shut down major oil and gas facilities in September after alleging that 800 refinery workers were dismissed for joining the union. The refinery denied the claim. It said only individuals accused of sabotaging the facility were removed, describing the action as a reorganisation effort.

The shutdown caused losses across the energy sector and contributed to a reduction in power generation before the Federal Government stepped in. Authorities instructed the redeployment of the dismissed workers to other Dangote projects.

By October, letters were issued to the engineers at the company’s Ikeja office. One of the letters titled “Offer of Trainee Engagement” was issued under Dangote Projects Limited, marking the latest step in the unresolved standoff.