By: Billionaire Africa

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has launched a fierce attack on Nigeria’s influential oil-workers’ union, accusing it of sabotaging the country’s energy sector and putting political interests ahead of ordinary citizens.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Dangote Petroleum Refinery stated that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is “serving the interests of a cabal of oligarchs” rather than protecting workers. It described the union’s recent call to cut crude and gas supplies to the multibillion-dollar plant as a “reckless act of economic sabotage” that could deepen fuel shortages and hardship for millions.

The refinery’s management revisited a long-standing dispute dating back to 2007, when the Dangote-led Blue Star Consortium bought the non-operational Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries for $750 million. The sale was reversed after resistance from PENGASSAN and its ally NUPENG. “History has vindicated that decision,” the company said, asserting that the unions “wrote their names on the wrong pages of history by frustrating a deal that could have transformed the sector.”

The statement further accused the union of supporting the widely-publicized rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery, which Dangote labeled “a ruse and a scam on Nigerians,” and of opposing reforms to the Petroleum Industry Act that the company says would have unlocked private investment.

Dangote Refinery also alleged that PENGASSAN has mismanaged billions of naira in membership dues to fund the “lavish lifestyles” of its leaders while contributing little to social development. In contrast, it highlighted the Dangote Group’s role as the largest private employer in Nigeria and a leading taxpayer.

The company condemned the union's order to halt supplies of refined fuels, saying it threatens essential services from hospitals to emergency response. “This is not about protecting workers,” the refinery said. “It’s about a few oligarchs weaponizing hardship against over 230 million Nigerians.” It urged the federal government and security agencies to intervene to safeguard energy security.