By Muhammad Mamman
Engineers previously dismissed by the Dangote Refinery amid the dispute with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have been recalled and reassigned to various projects across the country.
The affected workers — including several who were still graduate trainees at the time of their termination — have been invited to collect letters for re-employment or redeployment within the Dangote Group.
Under the new arrangement, some engineers have been posted to a coal mining project in Benue State, while others have been assigned to concrete road construction sites in Borno and Ebonyi. Additional deployments include rice processing facilities in Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
The company has instructed the recalled employees to resume at their new duty posts within 14 days or risk forfeiting the opportunity.
According to one of the letters, seen by The PUNCH, the engineers are being re-engaged as trainees, with a two-year structured training programme that includes classroom instruction and hands-on field experience.
“Based on your performance at the assessment and subsequent interviews held with you, we are pleased to engage you as Engineer Trainee (Mechanical Engineering) for the coal project we are executing at Okpokwu, Benue State,” part of the letter read.
It further outlined the conditions of employment, including a one-month notice period for termination from either side and expectations for periodic progress reports during the training.
The company stated that the initiative aims to equip the engineers with practical skills and prepare them for future leadership roles within the organisation.
Industry observers see the move as part of Dangote Group’s effort to mend industrial relations and retain technical talent after the refinery’s labour crisis earlier this year.
