Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, has called for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing dispute between Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Speaking during a high-level meeting with both parties and key industry stakeholders, Dingyadi stressed that the standoff must not be allowed to derail the country’s economic stability or harm its workforce.
“The interest of our nation, our economy, and our workers is too important to be sacrificed over conflict,” the minister said. “What we are seeking here is dialogue that produces lasting peace.”
The closed-door session, chaired by Dingyadi, was scheduled for early afternoon on Monday but started later than planned. At the time of reporting, it was unclear whether the talks had concluded.
The meeting followed a weekend directive from PENGASSAN instructing its members to halt crude oil and gas supply to the $20 billion Dangote Refinery.
The union accused the company of sacking employees who joined its ranks and vowed that supply would not resume until the workers were reinstated.
In response, Dangote Refinery dismissed the union’s claims, describing the pressure tactics as intimidation. The company also secured an interim court order to prevent any disruption of its operations.
Industry observers note that the outcome of the negotiations will be critical, given that the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery is expected to play a major role in reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel.
AFRIPOST reports that if the dispute is unresolved, it could have ripple effects across the energy sector and threaten the refinery’s potential to stabilise domestic fuel supply.