NEWS
Dangote Describes PENGASSAN’S Strike as Guerilla Warfare Against Nigerians
. . . Challenges PENGASSAN, NUPENG to Publish Audited Accounts
The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has described the declaration of strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) as a bully and guerrilla tactics meant to hold Nigerians to ransom for selfish agenda.
Dismissing as tissues of lies, the claims of mass sack made the PENGASSAN in its statement on Saturday night upon which it premised the call on its members to embark on strike, Dangote Refinery said what the Association has embarked upon is tantamount to act of terror.
These were detailed in a statement by the company during the weekend made available to Biztellers.
While highlighting the possible consequences of the strike on hapless Nigerians, Dangote Refinery management in a statement titled “Lawless PENGASSAN: Its lies and Terror Tactics”, said PENGASSAN could not justify its decision to hold over 230 million Nigerians to ransom by cutting off their essential supplies of petroleum products–kerosene, cooking gas, petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, amongst others.
It stated that the resolve by the Association to bully tactics could not justify the threat to the lives of persons, including infants and aged persons, who need the petroleum products and attendant necessities for their life-support systems in the hospitals, in care homes, and the Nigerian workers whose lives and livelihood are to be put at risk with the strike.
The Dangote Refinery management, therefore, called on the Federal Government and its agencies, as well as all Nigerians, to stare down the PENGASSAN and put a stop to the machinations and blackmail tactics of its oligarchs and sponsors.
“Assuming that there are Dangote Refinery workers or ex-workers who are affronted by or aggrieved over the organization’s decisions, they surely have remedies that they can pursue in accordance with their employment contracts. PENGASSAN should not and must not be allowed to incite those employees or ex-employees neither should it interpose itself between them and Dangote Refinery. PENGASSAN’s terrorist tactics must be defeated by the Nigerian people. It is in our interest to so do.
“PENGASSAN must not be allowed to persist in its bullying tactics against Nigerians. The Nigerian security and law enforcement agencies must provide security for the Nigerian workers in the oil and gas sector – all the facilities, installations and offices – so they can continue to provide their essential services to the Nigerian nation without let or hindrance by or from PENGASSAN and its co-travelers”, the refinery management stated.
The statement read “In our release, we pointed out that “over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our Petroleum Refinery” and that “we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programs and experienced hire recruitment process”.
It also averred that the PENGASSAN has not joined issues with Dangote Refinery on these factual assertions; rather it continues to peddle the falsehood that Dangote Refinery has sacked “all Nigerians working in the refinery and” presumably hired “over 2,000 Indians” to replace them. That is complete falsehood. We also stated in the release that there is an “on-going reorganization within” the Dangote Refinery which has resulted in the discharge of “a very small number of staff” and that the “exercise is not arbitrary” but is being carried out “in the best interest of the Refinery”.
“These facts have not been rebutted by PENGASSAN neither has its oligarchs attempted to meet with Dangote Refinery to verify the truth. Rather it continues to peddle the falsehood that we have sacked “over 800 members” of PENGASSAN “for joining PENGASSAN”.
Assuming that was a fact, which it is not, would that justify the terror and guerrilla tactics that the Association is now unleashing on Nigerians? Would that justify holding over 230 million Nigerians to ransom by cutting off their essential supplies of petroleum products – kerosene, cooking gas, petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, amongst others? Would that justify threatening the lives of persons, including infants and aged persons, who need the petroleum products and attendant necessities for their life-support systems in the hospitals, in care homes, etc. Would that justify the bully tactics of putting the livelihoods of Nigerian workers – the very people that the PENGASSAN falsely professes to represent – and their extended dependents, at risk? And when we talk about Nigerian workers whose livelihoods are at risk, this goes well beyond the workers of Dangote Refinery and encompasses all Nigerian workers, including all the PENGASSAN members “across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies” who are being commanded by the Association’s fiat, to down tools simply because the oligarchs within the Association believe it is fanciful to cut their noses to spite Dangote Refinery.
“This is a bully tactic that the Nigerian State and people must not succumb to or allow. As the Association rightly pointed out in its Release, “no man or company” – and we must add, or Association, be it PENGASSAN or any other – “no matter how highly placed” or entrenched, “is above the law and cannot be called to order by the national institutions”.
The oligarchs in the PENGASSAN have proved themselves to be terrorists and have turned the Association into a bully organization. It is time they be called to order. Indeed, over time, the Association has consistently proved itself as serving interests other than those of Nigerians and Nigerian workers, and a few illustrative examples would suffice:
“When in 2007 the Federal Government sold its moribund refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna to Blue Star Consortium led by Dangote Group at US$750million, it was this same bully Association, PENGASSAN and its co-travelers one of whom is the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (“NUPENG”) that vociferously sabotaged the process. It is now obvious to everyone that the FGN’s decision at the time was the right one and that PENGASSAN and NUPENG ignominiously wrote their names on the wrong pages of history. (See Annexures 1 and 2)
“More recently, PENGASSAN with its co-travelers loudly celebrated the purported rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery. Nigerians now know that the purported rehabilitation was a ruse and that PENGASSAN was knowingly celebrating a scam on Nigerians. PENGASSAN has also been in the forefront of opposing the amendment of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 in a manner that would allow the Federal Government to restructure the equity holdings of some of its upstream Joint Venture assets and thereby provide much-needed liquidity for the Government while injecting private-sector funding and expertise for the management of the assets. This is reminiscent of the inglorious role of the same PENGASSAN and its allies in aborting the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries in 2007.
“Dangote Group is the highest employer of labour in Nigeria and the highest contributor to the tax revenues of Nigeria and its sub-nationals. What comparable social responsibility has PENGASSAN, with its billions of Naira in monthly check-off dues and subscriptions, lived up to? Can it publish publicly its account for the last 10 years and list out its corporate responsibility activities within that timeframe?
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“Dangote Refinery is a national asset that must be protected by the Nigerian State and its people. It must not be threatened by the PENGASSAN oligarchs and their co-travelers. The threatened action by the Association against Dangote Refinery threatens the economic recovery and energy security of Nigeria. We must not allow the Association and its co-conspirators to sabotage and imperil the economic recovery and energy security of the country. The economic recovery of Nigeria must not be derailed and/or reversed by PENGASSAN. To paraphrase the perverted and abused sayings of the Association, no Association, not even PENGASSAN, “is bigger than our country”. “An injury” to Dangote Refinery by PENGASSAN, “is an injury to all”.
“We conclude by reasserting the opacity and lack of transparency in the operations of PENGASSAN as evident in its failure or inability to publish its audited accounts over the years. Why has the watchdog which the Association and its partner, NUPENG, profess to be, failed these several years to publish their respective audited accounts and be accountable to their members and the Nigerian people?
“We challenge both PENGASSAN and NUPENG to publish for the Nigerian public, within 7 (seven) days of this publication, their respective 10 (ten) years audited accounts, failing which they should permanently bury their heads in shame.”
One distinguishing factor of the recruits of the NNPC Tigers Class of 2026, is the emergence of identical twin brothers, Hussaini and Hassan Malami, among them, as both secured positions at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).
The brothers’ recruitment has also challenged a common misconception that the NNPC Ltd does not employ more than one person from the same family.
Hussaini had always desired a career at the NNPC Ltd and applied immediately when the recruitment opened. He then encouraged Hassan, his twin brother to submit an application.
Hassan, however, was initially reluctant because he believed the NNPC Ltd only hired one person per family and did not want to interfere with his brother’s ambition.
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His own career aspiration was to join the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). He already worked in the banking sector and had not considered a corporate career.
His doubts were also influenced by the experience of three older siblings — a lawyer, an engineer and a business administrator — who had previously applied to the NNPC Ltd without success.
Hassan eventually applied close to the deadline following repeated encouragement from his twin.
The brothers sat for the computer-based test on the same day but in different locations, with Hussaini taking his test in Sokoto and Hassan in Kaduna.
After going through the recruitment process, including interviews, both brothers received employment letters on the same day.
“I opened the email after midnight and wanted to wake everybody up to tell them,” Hussaini laughed.
Hassan discovered the news after seeing it on the family WhatsApp group when he woke up.
He said Hussaini’s success made him nervous about his own chances.
“I was now nervous about the possibility of not being successful once Hussaini shared his news.”
Both brothers eventually secured positions at the state oil major.
Hussaini now works with the NNPC Exploration & Production Limited (NNPC E&P Limited), while Hassan is with the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC).
For Hassan, his new position has provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Nigeria’s gas industry.
“I didn’t know there was a whole business dedicated to transporting gas,” Hassan said. “Now I’ve seen how gas powers plants and manufacturing companies…. Hearing that gas is the future is one thing. Seeing how it is happening is another.”
Although Hassan had initially been uninterested in a corporate career, he now considers his work at the NNPC Ltd another way of serving Nigeria.
He still hopes to explore military service before reaching the age limit in 2030.
Hussaini, meanwhile, said his experience has strengthened his long-standing ambition to contribute to society. He also hopes to return to his university as a guest lecturer and share his professional experience with students.
“When I was in university, I only had one lecturer with field experience,” he said. “I want to share practical experience with students someday.”
Asked which of the NNPC Ltd’s culture transformation pillar best reflects his mindset, Hussaini selected Enterprise First.
He explained his choice by saying that “giving your best to the company is giving your best to the country.”
Hassan identified with Execution Excellence, drawing from his background as a civil engineer.
“I’m a civil engineer…. I like seeing things come to life from concept to completion.”
The twins also urged young Nigerians interested in joining the NNPC Ltd not to be discouraged by rumours about the recruitment process.
“Ignore the rumours. You don’t need to know anybody at NNPC. Apply. Take the test and earn your place.”
Their story demonstrates that being from the same family does not prevent multiple candidates from securing opportunities at the NNPC Ltd, provided they meet the requirements and successfully navigate the recruitment process.
Identical Nigerian twins, Hussaini and Hassan Malami, have secured employment with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited as members of the NNPC Tigers Class of 2026, after overcoming a misconception about the company’s recruitment process.
Their inspiring story was contained in a profile by Adaobi Oniwinde, Senior Communications Advisor at NNPC Limited, on Monday.
Hussaini, who had always aspired to work with NNPC, applied when the company opened its recruitment exercise and encouraged his twin brother, Hassan, to do the same.
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Hassan initially hesitated because he believed NNPC recruited only one person from a family. Concerned that applying could jeopardise his brother’s chances, he decided against it at first.
He was also more interested in joining the Nigerian Air Force and already had a job in the banking sector.
However, with the application deadline approaching and following persistent encouragement from Hussaini, Hassan eventually applied.
The brothers later took the computer-based recruitment test on the same day but at different locations, with Hussaini sitting for his test in Sokoto and Hassan taking his in Kaduna.
After going through interviews and other stages of the recruitment process, both brothers received employment letters on the same day.
Hussaini said he discovered his employment offer after midnight and was eager to share the news with his family.
“I opened the email after midnight and wanted to wake everybody up to tell them,” he said.
Hassan said he learnt about his successful application through the family WhatsApp group when he woke up.
“That’s when the pressure hit me. I was now nervous about the possibility of not being successful once Hussaini shared his news,” he said.
The twins eventually secured positions in different NNPC subsidiaries. Hussaini joined NNPC Exploration & Production Limited, while Hassan joined NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company.
For Hassan, the new job has exposed him to aspects of Nigeria’s gas industry that were previously unfamiliar to him.
“I didn’t know there was a whole business dedicated to transporting gas,” he said, explaining that his experience had given him a clearer understanding of how gas powers plants and supports manufacturing companies.
Although Hassan had initially hoped to pursue a career in the military, he now considers his role in the energy sector another form of national service.
He also said he still hoped to explore military service before reaching the age limit in 2030.
Hussaini, on his part, said working at NNPC had strengthened his desire to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s energy sector.
He also expressed interest in becoming a guest lecturer at his university in the future, saying he wanted to share practical industry experience with students.
“When I was in university, I only had one lecturer with field experience,” he said. “I want to share practical experience with students someday.”
The brothers also identified different NNPC culture transformation pillars that reflected their individual approaches to work.
Hussaini chose “Enterprise First,” saying, “Giving your best to the company is giving your best to the country.”
Hassan, a civil engineer, selected “Execution Excellence,” explaining, “I’m a civil engineer. I like seeing things come to life from concept to completion.”
The twins urged young Nigerians interested in working with NNPC to ignore rumours about the recruitment process and apply whenever opportunities arise.
“You don’t need to know anybody at NNPC. Apply. Take the test and earn your place,” they said.
New concerns have emerged that disruption to one of the world’s most critical oil routes might continue, as Iran has laid terms of reopening the Strait of Hormuz on the table before the United States of America (USA).
Biztellers reports that Iran is demanding six things, touching on military operations, sanctions, compensation and access to her frozen assets, as conditions precedent to the reopening of the route.
According to Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Tehran expected Washington to end what it described as hostile actions before the strategic waterway could be reopened.
Iran’s conditions include an end to US threats and military operations, a permanent cessation of the war, the withdrawal of American naval and air forces from areas around Iran, compensation for damage caused by the conflict, the removal of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
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The demands indicate that Tehran does not consider the draft agreement being discussed with Washington sufficient to restore normal shipping through the strait.
Any eventual agreement would also require approval from Iran’s SNSC, suggesting that the reopening of the waterway could remain tied to wider political and security negotiations.
The development comes as shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly below previous levels, with only 33 vessels crossing the waterway from Monday through Thursday, compared with 50 during the corresponding period a week earlier.
Crude tanker movements have been particularly limited, with only six crude oil tankers reportedly exiting the strait so far this week.
The subdued traffic has persisted despite expectations that Iran and Oman could reach an arrangement to facilitate a shipping corridor through the waterway.
Further uncertainty surrounds the treatment of vessels linked to the USA and Israel, with Tehran considering restrictions on such ships. Earlier proposals for charging transit fees have also heightened concerns among shipping operators.
In a related development, the European Union (EU) has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy of operating a screening and toll system for vessels transiting the strait, adding to concerns over the security and cost of commercial shipping.
Washington, however, has struck a more optimistic tone.
US Vice President, JD Vance, said the administration expected oil and gas flows from the Gulf to eventually return to levels recorded before the conflict.
Vance also said Iran had informed Washington that it did not intend to impose transit tolls, although he acknowledged that the United States remained cautious about relying on Tehran’s assurances.
The conflicting positions have left the outlook for a return to normal shipping through Hormuz uncertain.
While Washington is projecting a restoration of Gulf energy flows to pre-war levels, Iran has now linked the reopening of the strait to broad military, political and financial concessions from the United States.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical artery for global energy markets, making the duration of the disruption particularly significant for crude oil, refined products and natural gas supplies.
The outcome of the negotiations could therefore determine whether the current disruption remains a short-term shock or develops into a prolonged threat to global energy supplies, with potential implications for oil prices, tanker markets and energy security worldwide.
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