PENGASSAN shuts down NNPC, NMDPRA, NUPRC headquarters

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Monday morning shut down the major entry points of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the offices on Monday morning, PENGASSAN members were seen at the entrance, and staff were denied access to their offices upon resumption.

At the NMDPRA Headquarters gate located at the federal secretariat, this newspaper observed a banner with an inscription ‘Dangote Must Obey’, ‘Dangote is Not bigger than the country’, and ‘Dangote the Chief of lawless officer.’

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, the NUPRC’s Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, said the association stopped the staff from entering the office upon resumption on Monday morning.

“We got to the office and they did not allow us to enter. As I speak to you now, I am in my house,” he said.

Also, speaking to this reporter, the NMDPRA spokesperson, George Ene-Ita, said, “They didn’t allow staff to access their offices. In response to the union directive that senior staff should stay away from work. The senior staff who are under PENGASSAN obey the directives of their union to stay away from work today.

“But the ones that are not under the union who came to the work were not allowed to gain access to their offices, too,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that PENGASSAN had earlier asked its members to disrupt activities at the Dangote Refinery by blocking gas supply to it.

The association said its decision was in response to the decision by the refinery’s management to sack some workers who are members of the union. It also accused Dangote refinery of spreading misinformation to justify its actions.

The union also directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services in protest against the alleged sack of Nigerian workers at the refinery from midnight on 28 September. It accused the management of the refinery of anti-labour practices and discrimination against local employees, prompting the federal government’s intervention.

In a swift response, Dangote refinery described the order as illegal and cautioned PENGASSAN to obey Nigerian laws in its operations, noting that PENGASSAN has no legal right to disrupt or interfere with the refinery’s contracts with third-party vendors for gas and crude oil supply.

The Dangote Refinery called on the federal government and its security agencies to intervene and call PENGASSAN to order, urging that PENGASSAN’s actions are not only lawless but can potentially inflict significant harm on the Nigerian economy and citizens.

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On Saturday, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) called PENGASSAN to suspend its directive to cut off gas and crude oil supply to the Dangote refinery.

On Sunday, the federal government appealed to PENGASSAN to suspend its planned nationwide strike over its dispute with the Dangote Refinery.

In an appeal in a statement, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the ministry had already initiated moves to reconcile the parties to prevent the crisis from escalating.

“The Ministry of Labour and Employment, through the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, has extended invitations to the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery to attend a conciliation meeting in my office on Monday.

“I appeal to both parties to be mindful of the importance of the petroleum sector to the country, being the core of its economy. A strike will not only lead to heavy revenue losses but also cause hardship for Nigerians. Its impact on economic stability and national security cannot be underestimated,” he added.