National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu on Monday night urged the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and other labour unions to avoid actions that could cripple the economy as the Federal Government works to resolve the dispute with Dangote Refinery.

The appeal came during the second day of peace talks, which were shifted from the Ministry of Labour to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.

According to a source, Ribadu, who also chairs the government’s Energy Security Committee, told union leaders: “Do not hurt the economy.”

At the meeting were Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group; Festus Osifo, PENGASSAN President; Lumumba Ighotemu, Secretary of the union; as well as top government officials including Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, Minister of Labour and Employment Mohammed Dingyadi, and Minister of State for Labour Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

The talks, which stretched past 11:24 p.m., focused on averting a total shutdown of the oil and gas sector, already feeling the strain of the ongoing strike over the dismissal of 800 workers by Dangote Refinery.

Finance Minister Wale Edun warned that the industrial action posed a major threat to Nigeria’s fragile economy:

“What is utmost in the minds of everybody—the public, the government, investors, and economic actors—is that we need to limit the danger of this action to the economy. We need gas flowing, we need crude flowing, which is critical to where the economy is right now.”

Edun said the government was determined to break the deadlock and prevent disruptions to critical supply chains in gas and crude oil, adding that talks would reconvene Tuesday with optimism for a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) condemned the strike, describing it as “self-help and economic sabotage.”

NECA’s Director-General, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, stressed that while trade unions have the right to strike, such actions must remain within the bounds of the law:

“Protections for union officials do not cover sabotage, coercion, or actions that endanger enterprises and national security.”

He urged the Labour Ministry to act decisively, warning that continued disruption could damage job creation, investment, and national development.