The Dangote Refinery has redeployed the engineers it dismissed last month following its labour crisis with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Sources within the company confirmed that the affected engineers, including graduate trainees, have been re-employed and reassigned to projects in Borno, Zamfara, Benue, and other states.
Letters titled “Offer of Trainee Engagement” were issued under Dangote Projects Limited, instructing the redeployed staff to report to their new locations within 14 days or forfeit the offer.
The letters were signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management.
Some of the engineers told The PUNCH that they were being sent to Dangote’s coal project in Benue and to construction and agricultural sites in Borno, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara States.
Security fears and union pushback
Several of the affected workers expressed unease over the redeployments, citing security risks and unclear reporting structures.
“There’s no address to report to on the letter. Those are security hot zones,” one of them said, adding that “PENGASSAN has told us not to accept the letters until discussions are concluded.”
The Dangote Group, however, maintained that the move was part of an agreement to redeploy workers to other business units within or outside the country.
Last month, PENGASSAN shut down oil and gas facilities after alleging that 800 workers were dismissed for joining the union.
Dangote refuted the claim, saying only a few were let go for “sabotaging operations.” Government intervention later restored peace, leading to the redeployment arrangement.
Dangote Backs PIA Amendment
Meanwhile, Aliko Dangote has endorsed the proposed amendment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), describing it as key to unlocking local refining potential.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, Dangote said the amendment would “open up a lot” for the oil and gas sector and ensure that only crude unsuitable for local refining is exported.
He criticised producers who hide under the “willing buyer, willing seller” policy to export crude that can be processed in Nigeria.
Dangote also announced the refinery’s expansion from 650,000 to 1.4 million barrels per day, a move that would make it the world’s largest single-train refinery upon completion.
Regional Expansion into Southern Africa
The billionaire revealed plans to build a large-scale tank farm in Namibia to distribute petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa.
He said the Namibian government had already approved the project, adding that Africa’s growing fuel demand required regional infrastructure investment. “We have been approved to put up a huge tank farm because we are not putting a refinery there,” he said.
Tinubu Pledges Full Government Support
At the OTL Africa Downstream Week, President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, pledged government backing for the refinery’s expansion.
Tinubu said the project would not only serve Nigeria but “the entire world.” He linked the refinery’s success to the end of fuel subsidy, saying deregulation had stabilised supply and encouraged private investment.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also praised the refinery’s growth, saying, Lagos remains “the energy and logistics capital of sub-Saharan Africa.”
As Dangote continues expanding capacity and regional reach, its yet to be seen if the redeployed engineers will eventually be reintegrated into the refinery’s expansion or remain scattered at the fringes of the company’s core operations.
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