Ndume: Dissolve PENGASSAN Before They Strangle the Nation

Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) yesterday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), warning that the union’s recent strike threatens to “strangle the nation.”

Ndume, speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time, condemned the union for prioritising private interests over national welfare following its directive for a nationwide strike over the sacking of about 800 Dangote Refinery workers.

“This PENGASSAN is supposed to serve Nigerians, but instead they are forcing hardship on the public to protect a few. Dangote is a private businessman; you cannot impose union demands on him,” Ndume said.

The senator accused the union of selective activism, noting that PENGASSAN remained silent during critical moments in the oil sector, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the collapse of government-owned refineries, only to resurface now in defence of a handful of dismissed workers.

“They are just workers. How can they demand more than the owners? Where were they when fuel prices hit N1000 per litre? Where were they when refineries stopped working and we relied on imports?” he challenged.

Ndume urged Tinubu to act firmly, insisting that drastic measures were required to protect Nigerians from the union’s “selfish” tactics. “The president has the right to dissolve them. In this case, I don’t mind if he acts like a dictator. Some situations demand it,” he said.

PENGASSAN, on Saturday, ordered its members to commence an indefinite nationwide strike. The Dangote Refinery, however, dismissed the industrial action as an attempt to weaponise hardship against ordinary Nigerians.