Angry workers of Shell Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) shut down the company on Tuesday, March 3.
The workers accused the management of the organisation located at the Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, of modern-day slavery, citing discrimination in pay against Nigerian staff, and conscious bias in pay benchmarking in Nigeria.
According to Platforms Africa, the early morning protest, which caused traffic gridlock on the road around the company, was coordinated by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The workers locked the gate to the firm’s office, totally preventing access to the Shell building, even as passersby paused to catch a glimpse of the protesters.
“This is the first time we are witnessing this after the company moved its headquarters from Marina to Eko Atlantic,” Platforms Africa quoted an eyewitness saying.
Accusing the oil giant of a newfound attitude of total disregard for Nigeria and a cutback of social investment in the country, some of the workers mentioned the pullout of participation at the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026 by the company’s leadership, four days before the biggest energy summit on the continent, organised by the Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum Resources kickedoff.
Some of the placards and flyers displayed by the protesting workers accused the leadership of SNEPCo of practicing modern-day slavery, discrimination in pay against Nigerian staff, and conscious bias in pay benchmarking in Nigeria.
The workers are also against the policy of the firm in applying a global pay policy in Nigeria without consideration for local peculiarities, adding that it is “Best-in-Basin” with poor pay.
“The Best-in-Basin is about cutting costs, which affects all operational issues, including attending conferences,” one of the workers said.
“For instance, the company was not present at the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja in February 2026 as a sponsor. Rather, it only sent delegates of about five persons instead of the about 40 persons who are accommodated as sponsors.
“Moreover, the organisers were only informed about the development about a week before the event,” the worker added.
The staff are also accusing SNEPCo of giving them allowances that are not market-reflective. They cited car grants as an example.
“Can you imagine a company giving a staff member N1 million to buy a car now? Yes, N1 million could look like a huge sum, but it can’t even get you a bicycle, not to mention a car. Now at Shell, it is increasingly becoming hell,” another angry staff member added.
The staff also accused the management of SNEPCo of enslaving their colleagues, whom they classified as SNSS with poor conditions of service, adding that expatriates were now taking over jobs meant for Nigerians.
“There are now several Non-Accidental Deaths (NADs) caused by poor pay, heavy workload, stress, debt burden, and unending reorganisation,” a female staff member added.
When contacted, a spokesman for Shell requested that enquiries about the protest should be officially sent to the official email address. The company’s global headquarters, which controls major decisions, has yet to issue an official statement on the crisis.
Edited from Platform Africa
Post Views: 1
