📌 …Accuses unions of prioritising dues over workers’ welfare
📌 …Warns against sabotage of national energy security
The Civil Society Budget Implementation Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (CBIAMEC) has strongly criticised the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), accusing them of hypocrisy and selfish motives in their confrontation with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Amb. Agbonkpolor Splendour, and released on October 1, 2025, CBIAMEC warned that the actions of the unions could undermine Nigeria’s energy security and economic future.
🔹 CBIAMEC noted that while it recognises the constitutional rights of workers to organise, the unions’ demands—particularly PENGASSAN’s insistence on immediate check-off dues—expose a focus on revenue collection rather than genuine concern for workers’ welfare.
🔹 The Committee condemned the unions’ silence during decades of corruption and wasted billions on turnaround maintenance of government-owned refineries that never worked, describing their current posture as “shameless weaponisation of union privileges for selfish financial gain.”
🔹 CBIAMEC further urged Nigerians to resist any attempt to sabotage the Dangote Refinery, describing it as Africa’s most significant private sector investment and a beacon of hope, jobs, and economic sovereignty for Nigeria’s 230 million citizens.
🔹 The Committee also challenged PENGASSAN and TUC to publish their audited financial statements for the past 10 years, stressing that transparency must start with the unions themselves.
“Dialogue, transparency and constructive engagement, not sabotage disguised as activism, should guide union relations with the refinery,” CBIAMEC stated.
📢 CBIAMEC remains committed to promoting accountability, transparency, and sustainable economic development in Nigeria.
