Nigeria’s economic landscape is under threat following a directive from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) instructing its branches to halt gas and crude oil supplies to the Dangote Refinery, a move critics describe as unlawful and perilous. The backlash against PENGASSAN’s action was articulated in a statement signed by Management on 27th September 2025, lambasting the association’s stance as emblematic of “criminal, lawless, reckless and irresponsible conduct”.
Management slammed PENGASSAN’s order as bereft of legal backing, emphasizing no statute supports such disruption of contractual agreements between Dangote Refinery and its suppliers. “There is also no law in our statute books that would support or enable the PENGASSAN branches having to ‘cut off’ gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Refinery or at all,” Management asserted in the statement.
Observers worry PENGASSAN’s aggressive tactic jeopardizes Nigeria’s prized Dangote Refinery – seen as a strategic national asset and source of pride – potentially causing “irreparable injury” and national, economic embarrassment. Management highlighted the move undermines Nigeria’s bid to attract investment in the oil and gas sector, cautioning it “is a disincentive to external investors who ordinarily would have been encouraged by the success of Dangote Refinery to contemplate investing in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector”.
The statement contrasts PENGASSAN’s actions with its earlier press release indicating pursuit of “all necessary legal actions”, with Management contending the directive betrays that professed path, opting instead for “criminal conduct” likely spawning “mayhem and chaos”. Management stressed the disruption imperils vital petroleum products supply – aviation fuel, petrol, kerosene, diesel, cooking gas – crucial to countless Nigerians’ daily lives. “There is no Nigerian household that does not use or need the petroleum products which PENGASSAN has now directed its branches, by fiat, to withdraw from the Nigerian market,” Management reiterated.
Management urged authorities at all government levels in Nigeria to intervene against PENGASSAN’s “criminal, lawless” acts, affirming “The Association is not above the law, and it must not be allowed to believe that it is or behave as if it is”. Management sees this as a collective fight for Nigerians, declaring “This is therefore a fight for all Nigerians”.
