AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Sunday reaffirmed its decision to commence a nationwide strike today (Monday), despite last-minute intervention by the Federal Government.
NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed that government officials had reached out to the union in a bid to avert the industrial action. He, however, maintained that the strike would go ahead pending the outcome of a meeting scheduled for today in Abuja.
The union had last Friday announced that it would begin the strike on September 8, 2025, a move that could trigger fresh fuel scarcity. The action stems from Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s plan to import 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution to retailers.
The refinery, which initially scheduled the scheme for August 15 but postponed it due to logistics delays in China, has indicated readiness to commence once a substantial number of trucks arrive in Nigeria.
In a joint statement signed by Akporeha and the General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG accused the refinery of anti-labour practices that threaten the livelihoods of its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch.
The union alleged that Dangote had insisted new drivers for the imported trucks would not be allowed to join any union, describing the move as a violation of workers’ rights guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution and international labour conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.
According to NUPENG, several meetings were held with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to persuade Dangote to review the decision, but the appeals were ignored.
Matters escalated when MRS Oil, owned by Dangote’s cousin, Sayyu Dantata, allegedly began recruiting drivers for the CNG trucks and compelled them to sign undertakings not to join any oil and gas union.
The union vowed that fuel loading nationwide would be halted from today if the matter remained unresolved, stressing that it would not watch while the jobs of its members were eroded.
In a bid to calm tensions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, announced on Sunday that all parties had been summoned to a conciliation meeting in Abuja.
However, NUPENG insisted that the strike would commence as planned until concrete resolutions were reached.
