FERA Slams PENGASSAN Over “Fraudulent” Allegations Against Dangote Refinery
The Fair Employment Rights Activists (FERA) has taken a strong stance against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), accusing the union of making “fraudulent, mischievous and hypocritical” claims against the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
PENGASSAN had recently alleged that the refinery terminated the jobs of over 800 Nigerians and replaced them with 2,000 undocumented Indian workers. However, FERA says its independent investigation found no evidence to support these claims.
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“Our fact-finding mission revealed that expatriates at Dangote Refinery are fully documented, properly accredited and engaged for specialised roles,” said Comrade Ebikeme Adigio, FERA’s president.
There is no proof that Nigerian workers were unlawfully replaced. On the contrary, the refinery has directly and indirectly created over one million jobs in less than a year.”
“Union leaders have lo moral standing”
FERA accused PENGASSAN leaders of hypocrisy, pointing to their role in the collapse of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries. Adigio said figures such as Festus Osifo and Lumumba Okugbawa were part of a system that oversaw the waste of more than $4 billion on failed Turn Around Maintenance projects at the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries.
“For decades, these men and their colleagues stood by while our refineries rotted, workers were retrenched, and Nigeria bled under subsidy fraud. Now they rise to play saints? It is the height of hypocrisy,” Adigio said.
He further alleged that some union leaders personally benefited from the subsidy era, citing appointments and privileges enjoyed by their families while young Nigerians were left to struggle abroad.
Dangote Refinery’s impact on jobs and the economy
According to FERA, the refinery is already transforming Nigeria’s economy by breaking long-standing monopolies and creating opportunities across the supply chain. The group highlighted the rollout of 8,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, which instantly generated 16,000 jobs in one day, as proof of the refinery’s commitment to Nigerian workers.
“The Dangote Refinery should be celebrated, not vilified. It is fighting for the poor, ensuring we are no longer held hostage by subsidy cartels, and creating jobs at a scale Nigeria has never witnessed,” Adigio declared.
PENGASSAN’s “Economic sabotage” threat
FERA also condemned PENGASSAN’s reported threat to cut crude oil and gas supply to the refinery, describing it as an act of economic sabotage.
“It is reckless for a union that squandered decades of goodwill to now threaten a national asset. Nigerians will not allow PENGASSAN to destroy what they never built,” the group stated.
Call the government and regulators
FERA urged government agencies and regulators to resist what it called “blackmail and lies” from PENGASSAN and protect investments that are vital to Nigeria’s future.
“The truth is simple: PENGASSAN is angry because the party is over. Thanks to President Bola Tinubu, that corrupt regime has ended. If they truly care about workers, let them revive the moribund refineries they once controlled. Until then, they should stop attacking an investor doing what the government and unions failed to do for decades,” FERA concluded.
Dangote crashes petrol prices by N259
Legit.ng earlier reported that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has confirmed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has cut petrol prices by N259 in the past year.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, September 15, to mark the refinery’s first anniversary, he also claimed that Nigeria’s decades-long fuel supply crisis has been stopped.
Dangote, who was also reacting to intense criticism from the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), shared the impacts of his refinery.
Source: Legit.ng
