Lawmakers Seek Resolution Of Rift Between Dangote, PENGASSAN

Members of the House of Representatives have urged the leadership of the House to intervene and mediate in the ongoing dispute between the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN.

The resolution followed a heated debate on a motion seeking to protect the Dangote Refinery and other major private investments from what sponsors described as “unlawful and adversarial” labour union actions.

The motion, sponsored by former house leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Abdulssamad Dasuki, was prompted by a recent industrial faceoff between PENGASSAN and the $20 billion Dangote Refinery, which briefly disrupted operations at the facility located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

Presenting the motion during plenary presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Doguwa said the strike caused the loss of about 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily for three days.

He described the refinery as a “strategic national asset” vital to Nigeria’s energy security and economic growth.

Doguwa argued that the refinery, operating under the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) Act, is exempt from general labour laws.

He cited Section 5 of the Act, which allows employment within Free Zones to be governed by NEPZA regulations rather than standard labour enactments.

The lawmaker therefore urged the House to direct the Ministries of Labour, Industry, and Justice to immediately develop and enforce policies protecting strategic private investments from union disruptions and to ensure compliance with Section 18(5) of the NEPZA Act, which prohibits strikes in Free Zones for ten years from commencement of operations.

However, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, proposed an amendment deleting the first two prayers in the motion, those calling for immediate enforcement by the ministries and NEPZA, arguing that the House must first investigate the dispute.

“As a parliament, we must not appear one-sided,” Chinda said. “Let our committees invite all parties — Dangote, PENGASSAN, and the relevant ministries — before we take a final position.”

Deputy Speaker Kalu supported the amendment, saying it was in line with Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, which empower the legislature to investigate before making resolutions.

But Doguwa maintained that his proposals did not conflict with an investigation and were aimed at reinforcing existing legal protections for private investments.

The debate shifted when Ahmadu Jaha moved a fresh amendment, urging the leadership of the House, led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, to personally mediate between the Dangote Group and PENGASSAN through alternative dispute resolution rather than investigation or enforcement.

“This matter doesn’t require confrontation. the leadership has resolved disputes like ASUU’s in the past and can settle this amicably.”
His proposal received overwhelming support.

The House adopted Jaha’s amendment and resolved that Speaker Abbas and the leadership should immediately engage both parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue.

With that decision, the original prayers seeking ministerial enforcement and NEPZA compliance were officially deleted, leaving the House leadership to act as mediator between the Dangote Group and PENGASSAN.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji