Dangote Refinery has cried out to the Nigerian Government after the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, announced a shutdown of crude oil supply to the facility.
NATIONAL POST had reported that in retaliation to the sack of 800 Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery, PENGASSAN, directed a shutdown of supply to the local refinery.
The development is expected to affect the operations of the private refinery.
Reacting, the oil company, in a statement on Saturday, described the move as a 'criminal and illicit affront against what it described as a national asset'.
"The follow-up question is, in whose interest and on whose behalf is PENGASSAN directing and intending to inflict such anarchic and criminal disruption upon the Nigerian society and persons living in Nigeria? Most certainly not in the interest of the Nigerian State and/or the Nigerian public and citizens.
"This is also economic sabotage against the Nigerian State at multiple levels.
"Dangote Refinery is the only refinery of its type in Africa and ordinarily should be the pride of Nigerians and the government. Indeed qualifies as a strategic national asset. An irreparable injury to the Dangote Refinery, such as PENGASSAN has directed, constitutes a national embarrassment to all of us.
"The directive is a disincentive to external investors who ordinarily would have been encouraged by the success of Dangote Refinery to contemplate investing in Nigeria's oil and gas sector or generally," the company said.
It further urged the federal government to call the union to order.
"We are, by this write-up, drawing the attention of the Federal Government and its security and law enforcement agencies – as well as all other levels of government in Nigeria – to this criminal, lawless, reckless and irresponsible conduct of PENGASSAN and calling on them – the Federal Government and its agencies, in particular – to call the Association to order."
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Government has remained silent in the latest phase of the face-off between the Dangote Refinery and the oil workers.
Days back, the Department of State Services had mediated between the warring groups.
However, the gains made during that reconciliation meeting have been eroded.
