The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has look lamented that the massive disruption caused by the three-day nationwide strike embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), warning that the action wiped out a substantial portion of the country’s oil and gas output.
According to NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the strike, which was triggered by a dispute between PENGASSAN and Dangote Petroleum Refinery, led to the deferment of 283,000 barrels of crude oil per day and 1.7 billion standard cubic feet of gas daily. This, he said, represented about 16 percent of national oil production, 30 percent of marketed gas, and 20 percent of electricity supply.
In a letter dated 29 September 2025 and addressed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Ojulari described the financial toll as “severe and compounding.” He also copied the National Security Adviser and the Director General of the Department of State Services.
The NNPCL chief explained that the strike forced the shutdown of oil terminals, gas plants and power facilities across the country, delaying critical maintenance programmes such as the USAN turnaround, AKPO GT-3 pigging, H2 well tests, annual compressor maintenance and SEPNU EAP IGE. He further cautioned that continued disruptions could worsen production deferments and trigger demurrage claims from international buyers as loading schedules slip.
Ojulari stressed that the action posed systemic risks to Nigeria’s energy supply and fiscal stability, calling for “a sustainable solution that prevents extensive interruptions to national energy security.”
The strike was suspended on Wednesday after Federal Government intervention, though PENGASSAN warned that the truce was temporary.
“We are only suspending, not calling off the strike,” PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, told journalists in Abuja. “Any breach of the agreement by Dangote and we will immediately resume our industrial action.”
The union has accused the Dangote Refinery of mass transfers, sackings and replacing Nigerian staff with expatriates, allegations the company has denied, insisting its reorganisation is purely operational.
Osifo, however, dismissed suggestions that the strike was about union dues or intended to undermine the multibillion-dollar refinery. “This is about freedom of association and fair pay. Our members are the backbone of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, which funds more than 90 percent of foreign exchange earnings. We are here to defend their rights, not to destroy investment,” he said.
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