Employees of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited on Tuesday staged a protest at the company’s office on Broad Street in Lagos, blocking access to the premises and disrupting early morning activities in the area.

The demonstration was led by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), whose members accused the company’s management of unfair labour practices and poor welfare conditions.

Witnesses said workers locked the main gate of the building, initially allowing limited human access before barring vehicles entirely including those belonging to senior officials. The action caused traffic congestion around the busy business district as onlookers gathered.

In a circular distributed during the protest, the workers alleged disparities in salary structures between Nigerian employees and their foreign counterparts. They also criticised what they described as the application of a global compensation model without adjustments for Nigeria’s economic realities.

The union further faulted the company’s cost-cutting strategy, commonly referred to internally as “Best-in-Basin,” arguing that it has negatively affected staff benefits and operational participation. As an example, the workers pointed to the firm’s limited presence at the Nigeria International Energy Summit held in Abuja in February 2026. Unlike other energy companies that sponsored the event and fielded large delegations, SNEPCo reportedly sent only a few representatives.

Other industry players such as Nigeria LNG Limited, TotalEnergies Nigeria and Chevron Nigeria Limited were said to have participated fully in the summit.

Among the grievances raised were complaints about allowances and incentives, including car grants described by staff as inadequate given current market prices. Protesters also alleged increasing workload pressures, repeated organisational restructuring and what they termed growing reliance on expatriates for roles previously held by Nigerians.

The workers called on government authorities to step in, claiming that previous efforts to engage management had not produced meaningful results.

They expressed concern that remote work arrangements and internal policies may weaken collective action and limit public awareness of their demands.
As of the time of filing this report, company officials had yet to issue an official response.