The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its three-day nationwide strike following an agreement reached with the management of Dangote Refinery during a marathon meeting convened at the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Announcing the suspension at a press briefing in Abuja, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, cautioned the refinery against reneging on the pact, warning that the union would not hesitate to resume industrial action without notice if commitments were breached. He admitted that “grey areas” remained unresolved in the communiqué but stressed that the suspension was made in good faith.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, also confirmed the resolution, affirming that unionisation is a legal right that must be respected. He assured that no worker would be victimised for participating in the strike, adding that more than 800 disengaged workers would be reassigned to Dangote subsidiaries without loss of pay.

The strike, which began on Monday, had seen aggrieved union members barricade the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Abuja and other regulatory agencies. Protesters accused Dangote Refinery of illegally sacking over 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with foreign staff, chanting solidarity songs and demanding respect for labour rights.