The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services following the sack of over 800 Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery.

Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN’s general secretary, announced this in a statement on Sunday.

He said the directive was issued after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) emergency meeting on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Okugbawa described the refinery’s action as a violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the constitution, and international conventions.

He said, “The refinery has replaced Nigerians with over 2,000 foreign workers, subjecting our people to the worst type of working conditions in the oil and gas industry.”

Mr Okugbawa added that no man or company, no matter how highly placed, is above the law and cannot be called to order by our national institutions.

The union leader explained that NEC ordered all PENGASSAN members working across field locations to withdraw their services effective 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, while those in offices, companies, institutions and agencies are to withdraw services from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, September 29.

He further said all processes involving gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery had been suspended immediately.

Mr Okugbawa also disclosed that the union had declared a 24-hour nationwide prayer.

“The prayer point should include a call to God Almighty to give courage to those in authority to rein in Dangote and his co-travellers on the need to obey the laws of our country,” he said.

He said the union would not allow the sack of its members to go unchallenged.

“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” Mr Okugbawa said.

(NAN)