The clash between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) escalated on Saturday after the union ordered seven branches to cut crude oil and gas supplies to the $20bn facility.

In a letter dated September 26 and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused the refinery of sacking workers for exercising their constitutional right to join the union. The union also alleged that management withdrew staff buses and barred local employees from entering the plant while granting expatriates access.

The directive instructed chairmen in key upstream and midstream companies — including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, Renaissance, and the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company — to shut crude oil and gas supply valves to the refinery and halt vessel loading operations immediately.

“This is in reaction to the illegitimate disengagement of our members for being unionized,” the directive stated. “Management has chosen propaganda over dialogue. Shut all crude oil valves and cut off gas supply with immediate effect.”

PENGASSAN also tasked its NGIC chairman with enforcing the order and providing regular updates on compliance. The directive ended with the union’s slogan: “Injury to one! Injury to all!”

Dangote Refinery rejected the allegations, clarifying in a Friday statement that only a few workers were affected by a restructuring exercise meant to prevent sabotage that threatened lives and operations. It stressed that over 3,000 Nigerians are still employed at the plant and described the union’s claims as misinformation.

The dispute comes just days after Dangote announced it would halt petrol sales in naira from September 28 following the exhaustion of its crude-for-naira allocations.