The leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), along with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), have allegedly been evading service of a court order restraining them from embarking on industrial action against Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
The restraining order was granted on Monday after Senior Advocate of Nigeria, George Ibrahim, of Ogwu James Onoja Law Firm, argued the application on behalf of Dangote Refinery.
Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim ruled that the balance of convenience favored the applicant, noting that a continuation of the strike could irreparably harm Dangote’s operations and disrupt the supply of essential services to Nigerians. He further stressed that the court’s intervention was necessary to preserve industrial peace pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Despite this, Dangote Refinery’s lead counsel, James Onoja (SAN), disclosed that all attempts to serve the court order on the defendants had failed, as they claimed to be on strike.
The court specifically barred the defendants from cutting crude oil and gas supplies to Dangote Refinery. It also prohibited them from carrying out any form of industrial action that could cripple operations, block roads, obstruct vehicular movement, or frustrate the activities of the claimant and its business partners, until the matter is fully resolved.
