Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of advancing personal and financial interests rather than protecting workers, following renewed threats of industrial action by the unions.

In a statement issued on Monday by the firm’s Internal Communication Specialist, Abiodun Allade, the refinery described the TUC as “zombie-like” for declaring “full solidarity” with PENGASSAN and threatening a nationwide strike without first verifying claims against the company.

“We are told that he who hears only from one side and passes judgment without hearing the other side is a fool. Unfortunately, the Trade Union Congress has placed itself in that position,” the statement read.

The refinery alleged that both unions are driven by the desire to secure monthly check-off dues. Citing comments by PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo in a recent television interview, Dangote said the union moved to collect dues from workers just a day after they were allegedly unionised.

“If we must believe Mr. Osifo’s account… the PENGASSAN oligarchs could not even wait for 24 hours after the purported unionization before demanding for their monthly check-off dues,” the statement said.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery further claimed that the unions and allied organisations, including NUPENG, have not provided accountability for funds collected from workers.

The statement said, “Meanwhile, none of these unions—PENGASSAN, TUC, NUPENG, and its other unnamed co-travellers—bother to give an account to their members and the Nigerian public of these monthly check-off dues. We only see the proof of these check-off dues’ payments in their lavish and opulent lifestyles.”

The company challenged the unions to publish their financial records and called on the federal government to prevent actions that could destabilise the nation’s energy sector.

“Finally, we demand that TUC join its co-travellers, PENGASSAN and NUPENG, in publishing its 10-year audited accounts. Surely, the workers in whose name they all purport to be working deserve to know what the unions have been doing with their monthly check-off dues,” the statement said.

Dangote also described the refinery as a “national asset that requires our collective protection and prayers,” adding that union actions that threaten operations could harm the energy supply and national development.

The company said it viewed the unions’ calls for industrial action as an attempt to plunge Nigeria “into utter darkness and anarchy” and urged stakeholders to prioritise the integrity of the refinery over the financial interests of union leaders.