Karimi Slams PENGASSAN Over Dangote Refinery Shutdown Threat, Calls Action ‘Economic Sabotage’

Kogi West Senator, Sunday Karimi, has warned the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to desist from actions that undermine the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), cautioning that the union’s directive to withdraw services affecting the Dangote Refinery could damage the economy and scare away investors.

On Saturday, PENGASSAN’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, ordered members working at field locations to withdraw services from 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 28. The directive covered control-room and panel operations, outfield personnel, and other services across companies, agencies, and institutions, specifically halting gas and crude supply to the Dangote Refinery.

Reacting in a strongly worded statement, Karimi described the move as “economic sabotage,” alleging that it exposed ulterior motives that threaten Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

“No investor will invest in any country where a union leader can easily destroy a multibillion-dollar private investment without cause. No serious nation will even allow such unions to survive,” he said.

The senator urged the Federal Government and security agencies to intervene, warning that halting gas and crude supply could cripple the $20 billion refinery and roll back progress made towards fuel self-sufficiency.

Karimi pointed out that despite reports of 800 disengaged workers, the refinery still employs over 3,000 Nigerians, with thousands more benefiting indirectly through contracts, supplies, and services tied to the facility.

He also drew comparisons with other privately run sectors such as banking, aviation, tourism, electricity, and private universities, where union activities are restricted or discouraged. According to him, many private employers introduced attractive compensation packages that reduced the influence of unions like NUBIFE, while institutions such as private universities have long resisted union presence like ASUU.

“An employer has the right to refuse the existence of trade unions in their businesses, and a staff member has the right to walk away from any employer who doesn’t want unionism,” he stressed, questioning why the Dangote Refinery should be treated differently.

Karimi further recalled that in 2007, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo sought to sell the ailing Port Harcourt refinery to Aliko Dangote, labour unions resisted the move, forcing Dangote to instead build his own facility. Today, that refinery stands as one of the largest single-train refineries in the world, in sharp contrast to government-owned refineries that remain unproductive despite heavy maintenance spending.

He accused certain unions of profiting from levies and dues while presiding over moribund state-owned facilities.

PENGASSAN, however, defended its directive, describing it as part of its industrial strategy in the statement signed by Okugbawa.

The Federal Government has yet to announce a response to mounting calls for intervention.