The decision follows a contentious dispute where over 800 workers were sacked for joining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), with accusations of leaking sensitive information to perceived adversaries of the refinery.  

An official from the group clarified that while the company supports unionization, acts of sabotage posed an unacceptable risk to the facility’s operations.  

“The workers will move to sugar, cement, and other business units. The company invested heavily in their training, and many of them were part of the commissioning phase. Losing that experience hurts, but protecting the refinery comes first,” the official stated.

Internal sources described the redeployment as a significant setback, noting that the affected engineers, many fresh graduates trained overseas possessed specialized expertise critical to the refinery’s launch.  

Some may be reassigned to Dangote’s international operations, with the process being handled on a case-by-case basis and expected to conclude soon.  

The company intends to recruit new engineers to fill the vacancies at the refinery, emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance on operational disruptions.

The move comes after high-level negotiations involving Dangote founder Aliko Dangote, PENGASSAN representatives, and federal ministers, including Finance Minister Wale Edun and Labour Minister Mohammed Dingyadi, which led to the workers’ reinstatement without loss of pay.  

Earlier proposals, such as paying five years’ salaries without work obligations, were rejected in favor of this redeployment strategy, despite government concerns over its financial implications.