Oil, Gas Facilities Shut As PENGASSAN Strike Grounds Operations Nationwide

The strike action embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Monday has paralyzed activities across the country’s oil and gas industry, with fears mounting over the economic and social implications if the industrial dispute lingers.

From Lagos to Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna and Abuja, reports confirmed that oil and gas facilities have been completely shut down.

Findings revealed that export terminals were locked, production halted, and operations at both upstream and downstream companies suspended.

A top official told THE WHISTLER that regulatory institutions, including the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Towers in Abuja, were also forced to shut their doors.

“Even management staff, usually exempted from industrial actions, were denied access to their offices,” the official stated.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the strike followed the mass dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian employees by the Dangote Refinery, a development that triggered outrage among oil workers’ unions.

PENGASSAN, in response, convened an emergency National Executive Council meeting over the weekend where the decision was reached to embark on a nationwide withdrawal of services until the affected workers were reinstated.

“The action of the Dangote Refinery is an affront to Nigerian workers and cannot be allowed to stand,” a senior PENGASSAN official told our correspondent. “We are ready to continue this strike until justice is done, no matter the cost to production or revenue.”

The disruption has already sent ripples across the energy sector. Analysts warn that with export terminals closed and production halted, Nigeria could lose millions of dollars in oil revenue daily.

In a swift response, it was learnt that the Federal Government has summoned both PENGASSAN leaders and representatives of Dangote Industries to an emergency meeting in Abuja.

The negotiations, expected to hold later today, are aimed at finding a compromise that would lead to the suspension of the strike and the restoration of normal operations.

A senior government source disclosed that authorities are deeply concerned about the impact of the shutdown on an economy already struggling with high inflation and dwindling foreign reserves.

“The priority is to resolve this quickly to prevent further disruption to crude exports and local fuel supply,” the source said.

The Dangote Refinery, commissioned amid much fanfare as Africa’s largest privately owned refinery, has been at the center of heated debate in recent weeks.

While hailed as a potential game-changer for Nigeria’s downstream sector, its relationship with labor unions has been tense, culminating in the latest dispute.