By Anthony Otaru, Abuja
Justice Emmanuel Sublim of the National Industrial Court in Abuja has provisionally prohibited the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) from proceeding with their intended industrial action against Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
In a ruling issued on an ex parte application yesterday, Justice Sublim enjoined the defendants, which included Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), from halting crude oil and gas supplies to Dangote Refinery.
In approving the application, the court concurred with the applicant’s counsel, Mr. George Ibrahim, SAN, that irreparable harm could occur if the requisite orders were not issued.
Consequently, the court issued an order prohibiting PENGASSAN from carrying out its planned strike in relation to the dispute with the applicant.
Justice Sublim also instructed the NNPCL, NMDPRA, and NUPRC to refrain from adhering to PENGASSAN’s directive to suspend crude oil and gas supplies to Dangote Refinery.
The court mandated that the restraining order, along with the suit, be served on all defendants without delay and adjourned the proceedings until October 13 for the hearing of the motion on notice.
