Barely two days after suspending its nationwide strike, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has raised fresh concerns over what it described as “flagrant disregard” for agreements reached with the management of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals.
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, the union alleged that the management of the refinery, led by Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata, was not only deliberately frustrating resolutions endorsed by the federal government, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), but also intimidating their members to dump the agreement and kowtow to his whims.
The union warned that it may be forced to resume the industrial action if the situation persists.
On September 9, 2025, after a marathon closed-door meeting convened by the DSS in Abuja, the warring parties struck a truce. The meeting, attended by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, other top officials of government, and representatives of the NLC, ended with the refinery’s management agreeing to allow its workers to unionise in line with Nigerian labour laws.
“That 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.
“That the process of unionisation shall commence immediately and be completed within two weeks (9th–22nd September, 2025), and it was agreed that the employer will not set up any other union.”
For NUPENG, the deal signaled a significant victory after weeks of agitation. However, within hours of suspending its strike, the union said it noticed worrying signals that the management was already breaching the accord.
According to NUPENG, Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata, who represented the Dangote Refinery at the Abuja peace talks, had on Wednesday, September 10, instructed truck drivers under the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) arm of the union to remove NUPENG stickers from their trucks.
“Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata instructed all his truck drivers who are NUPENG-PTD members for several years to remove the Union Stickers from their (Dangote) trucks yesterday (Thursday). He flew over them several times with his helicopter and then called the Navy of the Federal Republic to come over ostensibly to crush the Union officials.”
NUPENG added that matters escalated the following day, September 11, when the same drivers, allegedly acting on Dantata’s orders, attempted to forcefully enter the refinery to load petroleum products in defiance of union loading regulations. Union officials blocked them, insisting that the trucks were in violation of its rules.
The union condemned what it described as “arrogance and abuse of power” by the refinery’s management.
“We call on everyone to let Alh Sayyu Aliu Dantata know that he is not bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria and we strongly condemn his arrogant attitude towards official institutions of this great country and blatant lack of respect for the laws of this country,” the statement read.
While assuring Nigerians that it has no intention of making life unbearable through fuel supply disruptions, NUPENG appealed to the federal government to intervene swiftly and rein in the refinery’s management.
“We call on the Federal Government not to allow the Navy and other security agents being paid by the resources of this country to be used with impunity against the laws and people of this country. 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,” the statement added.
The union warned that it is placing all its members nationwide on red alert for the possible resumption of its suspended strike. It also called for solidarity from organised labour, civil society groups, and international allies.
“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 Organizations to rise in support and solidarity against this threat of the Capitalist world. His wealth cannot make him be above the law.
“We assure the people and the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that NUPENG will continue to remain a patriotic, responsible and responsive organization to this great country. Our solidarity remains constant, for the Union makes us strong!”
As tensions rise, all eyes are now on the federal government to prevent a fresh breakdown of industrial peace in the oil and gas sector, a move that could cripple fuel distribution and further strain an already fragile economy.
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