The peace meeting which the Federal Government convened over the rift between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery is currently underway in Abuja.
Daily Trust had reported how the Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi, summoned both sides to an emergency meeting at the ministry's headquarters.
He had urged PENGASSAN members nationwide to reconsider the strike, saying the plan, if enforced would take great toll on the economy.
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Daily Trust reports that the rift between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN reached crescendo on Sunday when the union directed all its members to withdraw their services over the sack of at least 800 members of the union.
The union claimed that the workers were being victimised for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of association and alleged that the refinery had replaced some of the dismissed staff with expatriates.
Reacting to the development, Dingyadi said, "I appeal to both parties to be mindful of the importance of the petroleum sector to the country, being the core of her economy.
"A strike will not only lead to heavy revenue losses by the country but also cause more hardship and difficulties for Nigerians. Consequentially, it will have adverse impacts, both on economic stability and national security."
However, the oil workers stood their ground and shut down offices of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Abuja, on Monday.
Mr. Eniola Akinkuotu, NUPRC spokesman, told Daily Trust that the agency's headquarters was not accessible as the striking workers placed it under lock.
Daily Trust also observed that NNPCL and NMPDRA were affected.
Speaking on Channels Television's Sunday Politics, President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, had said the union was ready to resolve the ongoing rift if Dangote recall the sacked workers.
"So, we are not distracted. Dangote is just making noise. If Dangote will call back the people he has terminated today, I can tell you normalcy will be restored in less than one hour."
