The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has dissolved the branch executive councils of the Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company Ltd (NGIC) and NNPC Gas Marketing Limited (NGML).
The action followed the executives’ failure to completely halt gas supply to Dangote Refinery during the association’s strike, according to a report seen on Monday. The move adds to PENGASSAN’s ongoing internal crisis.
On September 28, PENGASSAN began a nationwide strike, instructing members to reduce gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery. Following the dissolution, NGIC/NGML congress members appealed to the national leadership to reconsider the decision.
They urged PENGASSAN to drop allegations that executives colluded with management or accepted monetary gifts to prevent the shutdown. “These allegations are serious and, if allowed to persist, may tarnish the executives’ reputations and call their integrity into question,” the group said.
The congress added that if evidence of sabotage exists beyond their oversight, the affected leaders should be granted a fair hearing to clear their names or be judged based on proof. “The reward for an unsuccessful struggle should not be dissolution, but correction and re-strategising for future success,” they argued.
The group said the branch leadership attempted to shut down the refinery but could only close a few valves. “At no point did the branch executives claim a 100% shutdown. They reported partial closures along the line, hoping pressure would drop and Dangote would be affected, which did not go as expected,” the report stated.
They added that the national president was likely misinformed by someone eager to report early success. The branch leadership, the members stressed, had gone above and beyond in carrying out national directives, even at personal risk. Their actions included shutdowns and asset damage described by management as “unprecedented in NGIC/NGML history.”
The congress noted that NGIC/NGML PENGASSAN had never previously disrupted customer operations during strike actions. Despite constraints, including continuous gas injections from producers and heavy military presence, the branch recorded partial successes.
The members said the steps taken by the executives left no room for suspicion of collusion with management and dismissed allegations of incentives, sabotage, or undermining the strike as baseless and unproven. They warned that continued accusations and harsh measures could discourage members who had remained steadfast during the industrial action.
