Why PENGASSAN Refused to Sign Dangote Peace Accord Despite Strike Suspension

Why PENGASSAN Refused to Sign Dangote Peace Accord Despite Strike Suspension

Festus Osifo, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has clarified why the union declined to sign the peace communiqué issued following negotiations with Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Federal Government.

“If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it,” Osifo stated. “Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us.”

He emphasized that PENGASSAN’s stance remained firm: “Take the people back to the refinery.”

However, Dangote Group maintained that the reinstated workers would be redeployed to other subsidiaries within the conglomerate, not to the refinery itself. The company had accused the affected employees of sabotage—an allegation Osifo firmly rejected.

Announcing the suspension of the strike in Abuja on Wednesday, Osifo reiterated the union’s core principle: “Unionisation is a legal right of workers,” he said. “No worker will be victimised for participating in the dispute.”

He explained that the decision to pause the industrial action came after meetings with the National Security Adviser and Dangote management.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, earlier confirmed that a compromise had been reached, stating that over 800 disengaged workers would be reassigned to other Dangote Group entities without any loss of pay.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Osifo clarified that the document circulated after the meeting was not a formal agreement.

He said, “The document presented at the meeting was not an agreement.” He described it as a communication from the Minister of Labour and Employment, acting in his role as chief conciliator.

“When we subjected it to our NEC, we had to decide on priorities. Some media houses claimed we were only interested in check-up dues. That is false. What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families.”

Osifo noted that Dangote initially resisted reabsorbing the dismissed workers until government intervention led to a compromise.

He dismissed the company’s claims of sabotage, asserting that the union’s struggle was rooted in defending workers’ rights.

“The release that Dangote made on workers sabotaging the economy was totally incorrect. If we had allowed that sabotage tag to stand, those 800 people would not be able to secure jobs in the future. That stigma would remain forever,” he said. “Clearing that was a very big win. We are not perturbed in any way.”

He however warned that, “If Dangote does not do the needful, our tools are always available. We will never get tired of struggling for what is right. We have been around for 50 years before the Dangote Refinery came on stream.”