Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim of the National Industrial Court, Abuja, has issued a temporary restraining order against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), barring the union from carrying out its planned industrial action against the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The order, granted on Monday following an ex-parte application by Dangote Refinery, specifically prevents PENGASSAN and its affiliates from halting the supply of crude oil and gas to the refinery or taking any action that could obstruct its operations, including road blockages or shutdowns.
Also named in the suit are the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), George Ibrahim, who represented Dangote Refinery, argued that the planned industrial action would cause significant disruption to essential services and damage the country’s economy.
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“The claimant’s plant was constructed with over $20 billion to solve Nigeria’s energy challenges and has been making substantial contributions to the economy,” Ibrahim submitted. “If the threatened action by PENGASSAN is allowed to proceed, it will plunge Nigeria into an energy crisis and disrupt services essential to the public.”
The dispute reportedly stems from a recent reorganisation within the Dangote Refinery, which led to the dismissal of several employees. PENGASSAN claimed that over 800 Nigerian workers were laid off for joining the union—an allegation strongly denied by the refinery’s management.
According to Ibrahim, the company had communicated its restructuring plans to staff on 25 September 2025, citing incidents of internal sabotage and health and safety concerns as the basis for the layoffs.
He stated that PENGASSAN’s leadership responded with threats of a crippling nationwide strike unless the dismissed workers were reinstated—despite the refinery’s assertion that unionisation was not the reason for the terminations.
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The refinery argued that PENGASSAN had not engaged in any formal dispute resolution process before calling for industrial action, which contravenes established labour laws.
Justice Subilim, in his ruling, held that the balance of convenience favoured the claimant, as the industrial action could irreparably harm the refinery’s operations and disrupt essential services to Nigerians.
“The continuation of the strike would irreparably damage the claimant’s business and cripple the provision of essential services to the Nigerian public,” he ruled.
The judge granted a seven-day interim injunction and ordered that all defendants be served immediately alongside the motion on notice. He fixed 13 October 2025 for the hearing of the substantive motion.
