The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Thursday accused the Dangote Refinery of reneging on the resolutions reached on Tuesday by all parties to the industrial dispute with the management of the 650,000 barrels per day facility.
President of the union, Williams Akporeha and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale,made the declaration in a joint statement in Abuja, vowing to continue the strike if the matter is not resolved immediately.
Specifically, NUPENG said that the management of the refinery had started removing the stickers of the union from its trucks and was compelling drivers to load, despite complaints over the flouting of basic rules.
A meeting convened by the Department of State Services (DSS) attended by three ministers, representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals resolved the pending issues during the Tuesday meeting.
“Since workers’ unionisation is a right in line with the provisions of the extant laws, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals agreed to the unionisation of employees of Dangote Refinery and the unionisation of employees of Petrochemicals who are willing to unionise.
“The process of unionisation shall commence immediately and be completed within two weeks (9-22 September, 2025), and it was agreed that the employer will not set up any other union,” part of the communiqué at the end of the meeting had read.
But NUPENG which dropped the hint that it might resume the suspended strike action alleged in the statement that in breach of the agreement reached, a representative of Dangote refinery Aliu Dantata instructed all his truck drivers who have been NUPENG-PTD members for several years to remove the union Stickers from the trucks.
Aside from removing stickers, NUPENG said: “Today, Thursday, September 11, 2025, he (Dantata) instructed them to forcefully drive into Dangote Refinery to load and union officials stopped them from entering the refinery to load because their trucks violated union loading rules and regulations.”
NUPENG called on the federal government not to allow the Navy and other security agents being paid by the resources of the country to be used with impunity against the laws and people of the nation.
“Security agents should not allow an individual to ride roughshod with impunity even while not observing terms of agreement reached in meetings in which security agents facilitated along with Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We are by this statement placing all our members on red alert for the resumption of the suspended nationwide industrial action and calling on the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, all Regional and Global Working people and Civil Society Organisations to rise in support and solidarity against this threat of the capitalist world,” NUPENG added.
Earlier, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery had reaffirmed that association with any trade union remains strictly voluntary, in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
The company stressed that it neither interferes with nor restricts its employees’ right to freely join legally recognised trade unions. The statement was issued amid what the company described as “distortion of facts” by NUPENG concerning the refinery’s trade relations with its workforce.
“It is misguided to hold Dangote Petroleum Refinery responsible for individual drivers’ decisions regarding union affiliation,” the company stated. “If NUPENG seeks to expand its membership, it should concentrate on creating value and credibility that encourages voluntary participation,” it added.
Also, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has said it will begin the rollout of its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks next Monday, September 15, 2025 as part of its logistics-free distribution programme aimed at significantly reducing fuel prices across Nigeria.
In a statement issued last night, the company said the initiative would see the gantry price of petrol reduced to N820 per litre, with corresponding lower pump prices in several key states.
It added that Lagos and other South-western states would see fuel retailing at N841 per litre, while Abuja, Rivers, Delta, Edo, and Kwara states will sell at N851 per litre.
Dangote Refinery also said the first phase of the deployment will cover the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Lagos, Kwara, Delta, Edo, Rivers and South West states, with nationwide expansion planned as additional trucks are delivered.
The Aliko Dangote-owned firm assured that the transition to CNG-powered transportation was expected to save the Nigerian economy over N1.8 trillion annually. It noted that the move was designed to cut fuel distribution costs, reduce pump prices, and ease inflationary pressures.
In particular, the refinery said the initiative was expected to benefit more than 42 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by lowering energy costs and improving profit margins.
Dangote Group said it is investing over N720 billion into the programme, which is also anticipated to revitalise dormant filling stations across the country. The project is expected to create numerous direct employment opportunities, including roles for truck drivers, filling station managers, and fuel attendants.
The company called on stakeholders, including fuel station operators, telecommunications companies, and large-scale fuel consumers to partner with the initiative to ensure its success and maximise its economic impact.
Emmanuel Addeh and Peter Uzoho
Follow us on:
