Ali Ndume, Senator representing Borno South, has called on President Bola Tinubu to dissolve the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) if the union continues to pursue what he described as private rather than national interests.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on ARISE Television’s Prime Time, Ndume criticised the union’s decision to embark on a nationwide strike following the dismissal of workers at the Dangote Refinery.

“This PENGASSAN is supposed to serve the interest of Nigerians, and their profession has to do with petroleum product that affects everything,” Ndume said.

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“This is Nigeria, which is supposed to be a free country. You can’t force someone to be in the union.”

The senator accused PENGASSAN of overstepping its role by attempting to “impose demands” on the privately owned Dangote Refinery.

“Dangote is a private businessman who established a refinery. You can’t come and impose anything on a private individual. If you want to be a union, then stay out of Dangote,” he said.

Ndume further alleged that the association was holding Nigerians “by the neck,” noting that the workers were not the owners of the country’s oil and gas resources.

“They are just workers. How can they be asking for more than the owners?” he asked. Where were they when the subsidy was removed and the fuel price rose to N1000? Where were they when the refineries stopped working and we were depending on imports?”

The lawmaker urged the president to take decisive action against the union.

“The best thing is for the president to sign an executive order calling them off. He has the right to dissolve them. In this case, I don’t mind if he acts like a dictator because some situations require very drastic measures,” Ndume said.

PENGASSAN had declared nationwide strike over the sack of 800 employees by Dangote Refinery.

The Federal Government is holding a meeting with both camps so as to find solution to the crisis.