PENGASSAN’S LAWLESS DIRECTIVE SPARKS OUTRAGE, SEEN AS THREAT TO NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC INTERESTS

A strongly worded statement has emerged condemning the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN)’s directive instructing its branches to cut off gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery. Management, the signee of the statement issued on 27th September 2025, expressed deep concern over PENGASSAN’s actions, describing them as “criminal, lawless, reckless and irresponsible conduct”.

Management in the statement criticized PENGASSAN’s move as having “no law in our statute books that would support or enable” such actions, adding it constitutes “a criminal conduct for PENGASSAN or its members to disrupt and/or interfere howsoever in the contract between Dangote Refinery and its various vendors for the supply of gas and crude oil to the Refinery”. Management highlighted the contracts were not entered into with PENGASSAN.

The statement pointed out PENGASSAN’s directive could “introduce mayhem and chaos and easily translate into anarchy”, contradicting the association’s earlier press release claiming it would pursue “all necessary legal actions” against Dangote Refinery. “This is a complete disavowal of PENGASSAN’s Press Release of the same 26 September 2025 which claimed that the Association ‘will take all necessary legal actions’ to challenge the Dangote Refinery”, Management said.

Dangote Petroleum Management noted the PENGASSAN directive threatens production of vital petroleum products like aviation fuel, petrol, kerosene, diesel, and cooking gas – essential for Nigerians – thereby inflicting “insufferable hardship into the living conditions of Nigerians”. “There is no Nigerian household that does not use or need the petroleum products which PENGASSAN has now directed its branches, by fiat, to withdraw from the Nigerian market”, Management stated.

The statement sees the move as detrimental to Nigeria’s interests, disincentivizing external investors and constituting “a national embarrassment to all of us”. Management called for intervention from “all levels of governments in Nigeria” to halt PENGASSAN’s actions, stressing “The Association is not above the law, and it must not be allowed to believe that it is or behave as if it is”. Management underscored this is “a fight for all Nigerians”.