The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has initiated a major reorganization of its workforce, a move the company says is a response to “repeated sabotage” that has threatened the operational safety of the massive facility. The decision has sparked reports of a mass sack, which the refinery management has denied, insisting it is a “reorganization exercise.”
In an internal memo dated September 24, 2025, the company stated that it was “constrained to carry out a total re-organisation of the plant” after “many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the Petroleum Refinery leading to major safety concerns.” The memo directed affected staff to hand over company property and await the computation of their entitlements.
However, a senior official of the refinery, who confirmed the authenticity of the memo, told The PUNCH that the action was a “clean-up” aimed at identifying the source of the alleged sabotage and that those not involved would be reabsorbed. The official stressed that the move was not a “sack” and that the word was not used in the original communication. The decision to carry out the exercise suddenly was to prevent those involved in the alleged sabotage from covering their tracks.
The development is the latest in a series of reported disputes and operational challenges faced by the refinery, which began production in 2024. The refinery’s management has previously accused powerful oil interests and local marketers of working to sabotage the facility and its distribution plans. The refinery has also been embroiled in a series of industrial disputes with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over labor practices and the unionization of workers.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has confirmed that some Nigerian workers were affected and stated that it would work to ensure they are recalled.
