A nationwide strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), which commenced nationwide on Monday, September 29, 2025, has paralysed operations of key oil and gas regulators.
Mostly affected were the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Security personnel keeping vigil at the premises of the headquarters of the nation’s oil management companies told Forefront News on condition of anonymity that no member of staff was allowed entry into the premises in line with the strike directive issued by PENGASSAN.
This was as Tony Iziogba, Chairman of PENGASSAN declared that the body has achieved 100 per cent compliance at the MMDPRA and other key agencies, stressing that the action of Dangote Refinery in sacking staff who voluntarily joined the Union was a direct violation of Nigeria’s labour laws and international conventions.
The strike which was declared by PENGASSAN was in protest against the purported sack of 800 staff of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and their replacement with Indian workers.
At about 8:00 a.m. on Monday, the gates of the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja were closed and securely chained, thus, left employees stranded on the pavement.
At the ever-busy offices of the NMDPRA located at the Central Business District of the nation’s capital, the beehive of activity associated with the premises was replaced with silence.
PENGASSAN accused Dangote Refinery of sacking staff because they joined the union and replaced them with some foreigners.
The Unions had directed that all crude oil and gas supply to Dangote Refinery must stop immediately and also ordered international oil companies to halt deliveries.
However, marketers warned of the dire consequences of the strike, insisting that blocking crude and gas flows would trigger fuel shortages and price hikes within days, just as energy experts also noted that gas supply cuts would cripple power plants, which may snowball into “power blackouts”.
The development is taking place in the midst of Nigeria’s fragile energy balance.
The NNPC remains the country’s sole petrol importer while the NMDPRA regulates supply and distribution just as the NUPRC oversees crude and gas production.
With all three agencies completely paralysed as a result of the strike, the nation’s energy system certainly hangs in the balance.
However, the Minister of Labour has summoned an emergency meeting in a bid to broker peace between Dangote Refinery that is insisting on controlling its investment and PENGASSAN that is demanding the immediate reinstatement of sacked workers.
