PTD Urges Tinubu to Caution PENGASSAN Over Dangote Refinery Allegations

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the brewing dispute between the union and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

In a statement issued in Abuja by Obi-Dede Wonder on behalf of PTD elders, the drivers accused PENGASSAN leadership of overstepping its mandate and attempting to undermine what they described as the “historic gains” of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals project.

PTD dismissed PENGASSAN’s recent threat of industrial action in the downstream sector, describing it as “empty, mischievous and irrelevant.”

The statement faulted allegations by PENGASSAN that Dangote Industries had sacked qualified Nigerians and replaced them with over 2,000 Indian workers, many allegedly without valid immigration papers.

“PENGASSAN’s lamentation that Dangote sacked qualified Nigerians and replaced them with over 2,000 Indians, many allegedly without valid immigration papers, is not only false but a shameful blackmail tactic. Since when did PENGASSAN assume the role of immigration authorities to profile foreigners in Nigeria?” the PTD elders queried.

The group maintained that the refinery remained a national asset of strategic importance and urged the Federal Government to shield it from what they called “disruptive propaganda and divisive union politics.”