Dangote Petroleum Refinery has expressed deep gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his intervention in its lingering dispute with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The company pledged to continue delivering petroleum products without disruption.
In a Sunday statement, the refinery also commended the Office of the National Security Adviser, the ministers of labour and employment and other top government officials who assisted in ending what Dangote described as PENGASSAN’s “disruptive actions.”
“We are grateful to the President for his intervention, through his ministers and senior officials, which resulted in the abatement of the disruptive actions of PENGASSAN against the Refinery,” the statement read.
“We remain very grateful to these officials for their patriotism and national service.”
Dangote also thanked Nigerians for their support and encouragement.
“You gave us hope and reinforced our belief in Nigeria and its people as the backbone of our enterprise.”
“Be assured that we will continue to work for and in your interest, protecting that interest against rent seekers, economic saboteurs and squatters.”
To the employees who kept operations running, the company added, “we thank and appreciate you.”
The company affirmed its commitment to serving Nigeria “faithfully, diligently, and through uninterrupted production of petroleum products.”
“Our commitment to the Nigerian nation and our pact with its people remain undiluted, undiminished and unalterable, notwithstanding distractions from detractors and saboteurs.”
The Federal Government announced last Wednesday that the industrial dispute between Dangote and PENGASSAN has been resolved.
The reconciliation meeting, initially at an impasse, was escalated to the Office of the NSA under the leadership of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi.
Negotiations included government heavyweights, such as Wale Edun (Minister of Finance) and Atiku Bagudu (Minister of Budget and Economic Planning), representations from the DSS, National Intelligence Agency, and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, as well as additional participation from the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
The dispute had centered on unionisation issues and Dangote’s alleged termination of over 800 Nigerian workers, prompting PENGASSAN to call a nationwide strike.
After the final meeting, PENGASSAN announced the suspension of its industrial action.
