Nigerians are facing fresh hardship at fuel stations as the lingering feud between Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has triggered a spike in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol.
A closed-door meeting convened on Monday by the Federal Government to resolve the industrial dispute ended without a breakthrough. Confirming the development in the early hours of Tuesday, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, simply described the outcome as a “deadlock.”
Checks across Abuja on Monday revealed that several major filling stations had already adjusted their pump prices upward. At Ranoil and Empire stations in Gwarimpa, as well as Ranoil along the Kubwa Expressway, the new pump prices stood at N910, N920, and N910 per litre, respectively, up from N890 and N910 previously.
The industrial action, which began on Monday, is in protest of the mass sack of Nigerian workers allegedly for belonging to PENGASSAN.
In a directive to members, the association’s Secretary, Lumumba Ighotemu, instructed all branches nationwide to sustain the strike until further notice.
“All comrades are therefore directed to continue with the industrial action until further instruction. Only information coming through our official channels should be regarded as authentic,” PENGASSAN declared.
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The strike has already disrupted operations in critical offices, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Abuja.
Despite growing pressure, Dangote Refinery has refused to bow to the union’s demands, insisting that its management decisions must stand. Though the refinery has not disclosed the exact number of workers dismissed, it has not denied carrying out the retrenchments.
The dispute escalated further after the National Industrial Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim, granted Dangote Refinery an interim order restraining PENGASSAN from continuing with the strike.
The union, however, maintained that it was not aware of any such court action and vowed to press on.
Last weekend, Dangote Refinery accused PENGASSAN of employing “bully and terror tactics,” but the union insists it is acting within its rights to defend its members.
Meanwhile, the President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Maigandi, attributed the sudden price hike to panic buying and heightened anxiety triggered by the dispute. He urged the Federal Government to act swiftly to avert further hardship.
“It is the anxiety created by the face-off between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN. This has resulted in panic buying among Nigerians, which has shot up the fuel prices,” Maigandi said.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, who chaired Monday’s meeting, stressed that the standoff must be resolved for the benefit of Nigerians, the union, and the employer.
However, details of the government’s intervention remain unclear, and attempts to reach the ministry’s spokesperson, Patience Onuobia, were unsuccessful as of press time.
With the strike still in force and Dangote Refinery holding its ground, Nigerians now brace for tougher days ahead at the pump.