The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has disclosed that Nigeria’s oil output dropped by 16% during the recent nationwide strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
NNPCL revealed that the three-day industrial action, triggered by mass dismissals at Dangote Refinery, not only halted critical operations but also deferred a staggering 283,000 barrels of crude per day.
The organisation added that the strike, which kicked off on September 28, 2025, paralyzed key facilities nationwide, from offshore platforms to onshore processing plants.
According to NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the strike not only disrupted Nigeria’s oil output but also slashed gas production by 30% and knocked out more than 1,200 megawatts of power generation.
This was contained in a letter Ojulari addressed to regulators.
He also disclosed that the industrial action led to significant production deferments and projected revenue losses from missed crude liftings and reduced gas sales.
He said: “Significant revenue losses are projected at current deferment levels, driven by missed liftings and gas sales. Cashflow pressures are immediate and compounding.
“NNPC continued engagement with operating partners and key stakeholders to enhance security and emergency protocols, activation of BCP with non-union staff taking over operations, where practicable.”
Ojulari added that the industrial action “has impacts that extend beyond the Dangote Refinery”.
He said the disruptions to Nigeria’s oil output pose systemic risks to energy supply, personnel, and asset security, and the wider economy.
“Within the first 24 hours of the strike, the NNPC GCEO said production deferments stood at approximately 283 kbopd of oil, 1.7 bscfd of gas, and over 1,200 MW of power generation impact.
“This equates to around 16per cent of national oil output, 30per cent of marketed gas, and 20% of electricity generation,” he said.
The NNPC had warned that the disruption posed a “material threat to national energy security” if prolonged.
According to the NNPCL boss, key facilities shuttered during the action included the Shell-operated Bonga floating production unit and the Oben gas plant, while the restart of Nigeria LNG’s Train 5 and 6 was delayed, and midstream networks were disrupted.
Cargo loadings for Dangote refinery, as well as at export terminals such as Akpo, Brass, and Egina, were also delayed, risking demurrage costs, and at least five critical maintenance and project timelines slipped, the report said.
NNPC said it activated business continuity plans and deployed non-union staff to sustain operations during the stoppage but warned of “significant revenue losses” from missed liftings and gas sales.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this revelation came after PENGASSAN ordered a nationwide strike in response to the dismissal of some Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery.
The association’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the decision followed an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC).
However, Dangote Group dismissed reports of mass staff layoffs, clarifying that the ongoing reorganisation at its Petroleum Refinery affects only a small number of employees and is aimed at safeguarding operations and preventing sabotage.
The union suspended the strike after talks brokered by the government, easing immediate supply risks, though NNPC cautioned that systemic vulnerabilities remained.
