Dangote–NUPENG: Union Stands Firm on Strike, Meets Federal Government and Others Today
Dangote–NUPENG: Union Stands Firm on Strike, Meets Federal Government and Others Today
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) announced on Sunday that it will proceed with its planned strike starting today (Monday), despite the Federal Government’s intervention.
NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed that the government had appealed to the union to shelve the action, but stressed that the strike would continue until the outcome of today’s meeting with officials is determined.
The union had earlier, on Friday, declared its intention to commence industrial action on September 8, 2025—a move that could trigger nationwide fuel scarcity. The decision was prompted by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s plan to deploy 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution to retailers.
Although the initiative, originally scheduled for August 15, was delayed due to logistical challenges in China, the refinery has maintained that operations will begin once a sufficient number of the trucks are delivered.
But in a statement jointly signed by Akporeha and the General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, on Friday, NUPENG accused the Dangote refinery of anti-labour practices that threatened the livelihoods of members of its Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch.
The union lamented that the refinery’s owner, Aliko Dangote, had insisted that new drivers for the imported trucks would not be allowed to join any union. It described the decision as an affront to freedom of association guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution and a breach of international labour conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.
NUPENG recalled that it had held several meetings, alongside the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, to persuade Dangote to reconsider. However, its appeals were allegedly ignored. The matter got to its climax when MRS oil firm, owned by Dangote’s cousin, Sayyu Dantata, reportedly began the recruitment of drivers for the CNG truck and compelled them to sign undertakings not to belong to any oil and gas union.
NUPENG warned that its members would halt fuel loading across the country from Monday if the dispute was not resolved, insisting it would not watch silently while workers’ jobs were threatened.
To forestall the strike, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, announced on Sunday that he had summoned all stakeholders to a conciliation meeting in Abuja. The intervention is aimed at easing growing tensions over alleged anti-union practices at the Dangote Refinery.
In a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia, the minister appealed to NUPENG to suspend its planned shutdown of petroleum operations and urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw the “red alert” it declared in solidarity with the oil workers.
“I have invited all parties to a conciliation meeting on Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have stepped in, I appeal to NUPENG to reconsider its decision to paralyse the petroleum sector and also call on the NLC to withdraw the red alert issued to affiliate unions,” Dingyadi said.
He cautioned that a strike in the oil and gas industry would cause severe hardship nationwide and result in significant revenue losses. “The petroleum sector is central to our economy. A shutdown, even for a single day, will lead to losses in the billions of naira and impose serious difficulties on Nigerians,” he warned.
The minister further urged all sides to embrace dialogue, assuring that government would mediate in a way that delivers a fair and lasting resolution. “This matter will be settled amicably to the satisfaction of all parties concerned,” he pledged.
