Women’s group threatens nationwide protest over PENGASSAN strike at Dangote refinery

A coalition of women under the umbrella of the Women in Trade Alliance (WOTA) has threatened nationwide protests against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over its strike action targeting the Dangote refinery.

On Monday, PENGASSAN declared an industrial action over the dismissal of “over 800 workers”.

Speaking in Jos, the capital of Plateau, on Monday, Dorothy Ninret, secretary of the alliance, warned that Nigerian women would not hesitate to take to the streets if unions continued “selfish interference” with private investments that have helped reduce fuel prices.

She described the union’s strike as “unnecessary and anti-people”, accusing “oil cabals” of attempting to frustrate the operations of the refinery and return Nigeria to “the dark days of rising prices and market manipulation”.

“In the face of the ongoing industrial action against the Dangote Refinery, we are calling on the government to urgently call the unions to order before they drag Nigeria back to the dark days of market manipulation and unbearable fuel prices,” Ninret said.

She said since 2024, the refinery has consistently lowered the prices of petroleum products, providing relief for households grappling with hardship following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

“Anyone trying to frustrate Dangote’s intervention is trying to frustrate all of us,” she added.

She accused trade unions of contributing to the collapse of government-owned refineries while protecting “narrow interests”.

“These same unions were part and parcel of the moribund refineries. They don’t care if the refineries work or not; all they want is to protect their narrow interests,” Ninret said.

“How long will the government allow these greedy unionists to hold businesses, investors and the entire country hostage?”

WOTA urged the federal government and stakeholders to resist “gang-ups” against the refinery, insisting that Dangote’s intervention remains the only significant relief Nigerians have enjoyed since subsidy removal.