In a shocking twist, the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has terminated the employment of all its Nigerian staff barely 24 hours after they joined the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

The development was made public through a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by political commentator, Imran Wakili, who revealed that 90% of the refinery’s Nigerian workforce had joined the union before being sacked.

According to a leaked memo dated September 25, 2025, and signed by the Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, the decision was described as part of a “total re-organisation” of the refinery. The memo also alleged cases of sabotage in some units of the plant.

Affected workers were directed to hand over all company property to their line managers and complete exit clearance formalities. The finance department has been instructed to compute and pay their benefits in accordance with their employment terms.

The refinery’s management, while expressing gratitude for the services rendered by the dismissed employees, insisted the move was necessary for the re-organisation of the company.

This development marks an escalation in the ongoing dispute between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN over unionisation rights, a tussle that has now thrown Nigeria’s labour space into heated debate.