Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress and current senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has faulted the decision of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to extend its dispute with Dangote Refinery into a nationwide shutdown of oil operations.
Speaking during an interview with Arise Television on Friday, Oshiomhole described the move as “hasty” and “unfair,” insisting that such industrial actions must not impose unnecessary hardship on millions of Nigerians.
“Unions have every right to defend the interests of workers, but in doing so, they must adopt methods that do not jeopardise the livelihoods of others,” Oshiomhole said. “In trying to protect a set of workers, you cannot risk the jobs of several others.”
The senator argued that the decision to halt operations at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other oil firms over grievances with Dangote Refinery was misplaced.
“I saw queues at filling stations, and people were asking, ‘why are we not working today?’ The answer was that PENGASSAN had shut down NNPC and other facilities simply because of issues at one refinery. That is not the right approach,” he added.
Drawing from his time as NLC president, Oshiomhole recalled how the labour movement once battled Union Bank over discriminatory policies against married staff.
However, the strike was restricted to the bank and not extended to other financial institutions.
“We had the strength to cripple all banks, but we didn’t, because the fault of one company could not be imposed on others,” he explained.
The senator further advised labour leaders to weigh the broader economic impact of strikes, noting that ordinary Nigerians, such as traders and transporters, suffer when fuel supply is disrupted.
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“Freedom of association is fundamental, but it comes with responsibility,” he stressed. “Employers and employees must exercise their rights with fairness and restraint.”
Oshiomhole also urged patience with new investors like Dangote Refinery, commissioned in May 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, warning that premature hostility could stifle growth and threaten job creation.
“Before a business matures to guarantee good-paying jobs, it must be allowed to stand firmly. Crippling it at the start only destroys the very opportunities workers are fighting to protect,” he said.
PENGASSAN had last month directed its members to shut down oil installations nationwide over alleged anti-labour practices at the refinery.
The strike led to fuel scarcity across several states, prompting concerns from government and industry stakeholders about its impact on Nigeria’s already fragile energy supply chain.