The House of Representatives has resolved to intervene in the ongoing dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery, whose industrial action recently disrupted petroleum distribution and triggered fuel scarcity across the country.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance co-sponsored by Alhassan Doguwa (Kano) and Abdussamad Dasuki (Sokoto) during Tuesday’s plenary session.
The motion, titled “Need to Protect Private Investment from Adversarial Unionism,” drew lawmakers’ attention to the strategic importance of the $20 billion Dangote Refinery, described as “Africa’s largest private petroleum refinery.”
The face-off between PENGASSAN and the refinery, which began on September 29, 2025, led to an industrial shutdown that cost Nigeria an estimated 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily over three days, compounding the nation’s fuel supply crisis and causing long queues at filling stations nationwide.
Leading the motion, Doguwa, who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in Kano State, emphasized that the refinery remains critical to Nigeria’s economic recovery.
“The House is aware that the Dangote Refinery is a strategic private investment of immense national importance, with the potential to guarantee energy security, reduce import dependency, generate employment, and conserve foreign exchange,” Doguwa said.
He reminded colleagues that the refinery operates within a Free Trade Zone, and therefore falls under the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), citing Section 18(5) of the NEPZA Act, which stipulates that employment matters in such zones are regulated by the Authority — not general labour laws.
“Actions by labour unions that disregard these legal protections not only breach the law but also create a hostile investment environment that may deter future investors,” Doguwa warned.
He cautioned that continued union disruptions at strategic private institutions could undermine investor confidence, threatening economic stability and job creation.
In his contribution, Ahmad Jaha (Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza) urged the House to act with caution, warning that any hasty probe could worsen the situation.
After deliberation, the House adopted the motion and mandated its leadership to broker peace between PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery in the national interest.
Lawmakers also called on the Federal Ministries of Labour and Employment; Industry, Trade and Investment; and Justice to jointly develop a national policy framework to protect key private investments from unlawful union disruptions.
The Ministry of Justice and NEPZA were further directed to ensure full enforcement of Section 18(5) of the NEPZA Act across all Free Zone operations.
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