The Department of State Services (DSS) has been called upon to wade into an alleged attempt by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to undermine the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

The concerned Nigerian consumer forum (CNCF) behind the call described Dangote Refinery as a critical national asset that must not be sabotaged under the pretext of unionism.

Led by Comrade Olabisi Taiwo, the Forum, at a press conference held in Abuja on Sunday, expressed alarm over PENGASSAN’s threats to picket the $20 billion refinery over the sack of its workers.

The group accused the union of risking Nigeria’s return to fuel scarcity, economic instability, and national embarrassment, urging Nigerians to question PENGASSAN’s motives.
“PENGASSAN, alongside NUPENG, played a significant role in the collapse of Nigeria’s public refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna,” the Forum stated.
“They resisted reforms, blocked privatisation, and crippled fuel supply with strikes. Their actions contributed to the rot that turned these refineries into relics of corruption and mismanagement.”

The Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is a private initiative designed to end Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel, stabilise prices, and create jobs.

The Forum emphasised that the refinery, which employs over 3,000 Nigerians and continues to recruit, is not anti-labour but focused on operational efficiency and safety.

The company’s recent reorganisation, according to Dangote, was prompted by acts of sabotage that threatened operations.

The Forum criticised PENGASSAN’s threat to picket the refinery despite a court order restraining industrial action, calling it “union overreach” and a violation of the rule of law.

It also condemned the union’s inflammatory rhetoric, citing a metaphorical statement about a “witch crying in the night” as reckless and divisive.
“Who benefits if the refinery fails?” the Forum asked. “Certainly not the Nigerian people, but fuel importers and rent seekers who profit from chaos.”

The group urged PENGASSAN to engage in dialogue, respect the courts, and prioritise national interests over what it called “irresponsible unionism.”

The Forum called on the Ministries of Labour, Petroleum Resources, and Justice to intervene and protect the refinery from disruption.
“The government must send a clear message: industrial blackmail will not be tolerated,” the statement read.
“Nigerians have suffered enough from fuel queues and economic hardship. The Dangote Refinery is our best chance at energy independence, and we must not allow vested interests to destroy it.”

The Forum reaffirmed its support for progress, stability, and the rule of law, urging all Nigerians to protect the refinery as a symbol of hope and a break from the nation’s troubled energy past.