The Dangote Group has reassigned some engineers recently disengaged from its refinery to other subsidiaries, including the company’s sugar and cement plants.

Sources within the organization confirmed that the redeployment follows the decision to recruit new engineers to fill the vacant positions at the refinery. The move is seen internally as a significant setback, as many of the affected engineers had received specialized overseas training and were instrumental during the commissioning phase of the refinery.

An official of the company said the decision was necessary to safeguard operations at the refinery. “The workers will move to sugar, cement, and other business units. The company invested heavily in their training, and many of them were part of the commissioning phase. Losing that experience hurts, but protecting the refinery comes first,” the official stated.

It was also gathered that several of the engineers affected by the changes have received offers from international companies that value their expertise. Addressing concerns about salary disparities, a consultant explained that differences between expatriate and Nigerian engineers are normal during the early stages of major industrial projects.

“Every new industrial operation brings in global experts before fully transitioning to local staff. Refinery operations differ from upstream oil exploration, so salary structures cannot be compared,” the consultant said.

Insiders disclosed that the redeployment process is ongoing and is being handled on a case-by-case basis. Once completed, some of the engineers will take up new roles in Dangote’s facilities within Nigeria and in its international operations.