Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has urged President Bola Tinubu to dissolve the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) if it continues to “serve private interests” rather than the public good.

His remarks followed PENGASSAN’s directive to its members to embark on a nationwide strike after the dismissal of “over 800 workers” by the Dangote Refinery. The refinery accused the union of “weaponising hardship against Nigerians.”

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Ndume said he has long opposed what he described as “so-called unionism” that benefits a few at the expense of the country.

“This PENGASSAN is supposed to serve the interest of Nigerians, and their profession has to do with petroleum product that affects everything,” he said. “This is Nigeria, which is supposed to be a free country. You can’t force someone to be in the union.”

The senator criticised the union for attempting to impose demands on a privately owned refinery. “Dangote is a private businessman who established a refinery. You can’t come and impose anything on a private individual. If you want to be a union, then stay out of Dangote,” he said.

Ndume accused PENGASSAN of holding Nigerians “by the neck,” insisting that workers “do not own the oil or gas resources.” He also questioned the union’s silence during critical moments in the oil sector.

“Where were they when the subsidy was removed and the fuel price rose to N1000? Where were they when the refineries stopped working and we were depending on imports?” he asked.

He urged Tinubu to act decisively, saying: “The best thing is for the president to sign an executive order calling them off. He has the right to dissolve them. In this case, I don’t mind if he acts like a dictator because some situations require very drastic measures.”