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Fuel Price Jumps as Dangote-PENGASSAN Talks End in Deadlock, Strike Continues

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Nigerians are now forced to pay higher prices for Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) as the crippling industrial feud between the Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) remains unresolved. The closed-door meeting held on Monday among the Federal Government, Dangote Refinery representatives, and PENGASSAN ended in a deadlock, a status confirmed by PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo early on Tuesday morning, Dependable NG reports.

The failure of the intervention meeting immediately translated into hikes at the pump across the nation’s capital, Abuja. A survey revealed that filling stations like Ranoil and Empire in Gwarimpa and on the Kubwa Expressway had adjusted their pump prices to between N910 and N920 per litre, up from previous prices that were as low as N890. The President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, blamed the hikes on the “anxiety created by the face-off”, which has led to panic buying among consumers.

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The strike, which began on Monday following the mass sack of Nigerian workers, is set to continue indefinitely. In an official directive on Monday night, PENGASSAN Secretary Lumumba Ighotemu ordered “All comrades are therefore directed to continue with the industrial action until further instruction.” This defiance comes despite the Dangote Refinery securing an interim court order from Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim of the National Industrial Court in Abuja to restrain the strike. PENGASSAN, however, maintained that it is unaware of any official court action and insisted it is acting within its rights.

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The labour crisis, fueled by the refinery’s perceived recalcitrance and refusal to reinstate the sacked workers, paints a grim picture for the country’s oil sector. The 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery has not denied the sackings, which PENGASSAN alleges were carried out because the workers joined the union. Beyond shutting down the Dangote plant, PENGASSAN also grounded activities at the Abuja offices of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday. Compounding the situation, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union of Nigeria have both formally joined PENGASSAN in the nationwide strike.

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