Some engineers recently dismissed from the Dangote Refinery have denied allegations that they tried to sabotage the multibillion-dollar oil facility, describing the claims as false and a cover-up for what they call victimisation over union activities.
The former workers, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, insisted they were dismissed for joining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), not for any act of sabotage as alleged by the company.
“If there were really 22 attempts to set the refinery on fire or destroy equipment, people would have been arrested and prosecuted by now,” one of the engineers said. “We helped build this refinery; why would we want to bring it down?”
During a media tour of the refinery last week, Dangote Group’s Vice President, Devakumar Edwin, maintained that the dismissals were not linked to unionisation. He said the company had documented evidence of multiple sabotage attempts, including fires and tampering with key systems, prompting a major internal reorganisation.
“We faced 22 incidents of sabotage,” Edwin claimed. “Some workers tried to damage instruments or start fires, but the refinery’s safety systems contained them quickly. All incidents were recorded with time and unit details.”
But the dismissed engineers dismissed the account as untrue, stressing that none of them were questioned or investigated. “If the company claims to have evidence, where are the suspects?” one of them asked.
The crisis led to a nationwide strike by PENGASSAN, which accused the refinery of illegally dismissing hundreds of workers for unionising. The strike disrupted oil and gas operations across the country before the Federal Government intervened, urging the company to recall or redeploy the affected staff.
Sources within the Dangote Group later indicated that the refinery planned to redeploy some of the engineers to its sugar and cement subsidiaries, though the affected workers said they have yet to receive any communication on the matter.
“As of now, we’re still at home. We were paid our September salaries, but since then, no one has reached out to us,” one of the engineers said.
The Dangote Refinery, which recently began limited operations, is one of the largest single-train refineries in the world and a major part of Nigeria’s effort to achieve energy self-sufficiency.
