FG moves to avert PENGASSAN strike, calls for dialogue with Dangote Refinery

The Federal Government has urged the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to shelve its planned strike over the dispute with Dangote Refinery.

Labour and Employment Minister, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, said on Sunday that the ministry had initiated steps to bring both sides to the table. According to a statement by the ministry’s spokesperson, Patience Onuobia, invitations have been sent to PENGASSAN leadership and Dangote Refinery management for an emergency conciliation meeting in the minister’s office on Monday.

Dingyadi appealed to the union to withdraw its strike notice, stressing that industrial action in the oil and gas sector could inflict huge economic losses, deepen hardship for citizens, and threaten national security.

“The Ministry has invited both parties to a conciliation meeting in my office on Monday,” the minister said. “I appeal to them to consider the critical role of the petroleum sector in Nigeria’s economy. A strike at this time will result in huge revenue losses and could destabilise the economy.”

He assured that the federal government remains committed to resolving the dispute peacefully and in the best interest of the country.