This development follows days of industrial unrest triggered by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), which shut down key oil and gas installations nationwide to protest the termination of about 800 refinery workers accused of joining the union.
Sources within the Dangote Refinery disclosed that the redeployment, though seen as a compromise, represents a significant loss to the company given the level of investment in the affected engineers. Some of the dismissed employees were reportedly part of the first batch of Nigerian engineers trained abroad to oversee the refinery’s commissioning.
“The workers will be redeployed to sugar, cement and other business units. It’s painful because many of them were young, promising engineers trained overseas by the company,” a source said. “You can’t easily replace that kind of expertise and experience. But sabotage cannot be tolerated in a refinery environment where errors are costly.”
The company insists that it had no objection to workers joining unions, but maintained that those dismissed were involved in acts of sabotage and leaking sensitive information to rivals. The refinery has since agreed to redeploy the affected staff following Federal Government mediation, which brought an end to the nationwide strike.
According to insiders, some of the engineers may also be posted to Dangote’s operations outside Nigeria, with the redeployment process expected to be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Meanwhile, industry analysts have weighed in on allegations that foreign expatriates earn higher wages than local engineers at the refinery. A consultant familiar with the matter explained that such disparities are common in start-up industrial projects, noting that pay structures typically adjust as local expertise grows.
“It’s normal for expatriates to earn more during the formative stages of a project. Over time, as Nigerian engineers become more experienced, they take full charge,” the consultant explained.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery, situated in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, remains Africa’s largest integrated oil processing facility and is expected to drastically cut Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products.
In recent weeks, however, the refinery has faced a series of labour and industry challenges, including disputes with NUPENG and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN). Both groups have accused the refinery of monopolistic pricing and anti-competitive practices that threaten smaller market players.
Following days of tension, government intervention helped de-escalate the standoff, with all parties agreeing to a truce. The Dangote Group has since reaffirmed its commitment to implementing all resolutions reached during the conciliation meeting and to maintaining industrial peace across its operations.
As the redeployment process progresses, attention now turns to how the refinery — a key part of Nigeria’s energy self-sufficiency drive — will navigate its labour relations challenges while sustaining production and market confidence.