FG, Labour Unions’ Meeting Over NUPENG–Dangote Dispute Ends in Deadlock
A high-level mediation effort by the Federal Government to resolve the dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group ended in a stalemate on Monday, raising fears of a nationwide fuel crisis.
The closed-door meeting, held in Abuja, was convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, and his counterpart, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha. It aimed to defuse tensions over alleged anti-union activities at the Dangote Refinery.
Top officials from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Dangote Group, MRS Petroleum, and the national executive of NUPENG attended the session.
However, the meeting failed to yield a resolution, leaving the union’s planned industrial action—set to begin Tuesday, September 9—still on course.
NUPENG had announced the strike last Friday, accusing the Dangote Group of barring its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining labour unions. The union described the move as an infringement on workers’ rights and vowed to shut down operations unless the matter was addressed.
Though the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) have distanced themselves from the action, NUPENG reaffirmed its position on Sunday.
Concerned about the potential economic fallout, the Federal Government had urged the union to reconsider.
In a statement issued through the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s spokesperson, Patience Onuobia, Minister Dingyadi appealed for restraint.
“I have invited all the parties for a conciliation meeting tomorrow, Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have intervened, I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow,” he said.
Dingyadi warned that even a short-term strike could cost the country billions of naira in losses and severely disrupt national life.
He also called on the NLC to withdraw a “red alert” it had issued to affiliate unions, urging them to prepare for solidarity action against what it described as “anti-worker and anti-union practices” by the Dangote Group.
Meanwhile, prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, backed NUPENG’s position, stating that the Dangote Group’s alleged actions contravened both Nigerian and international labour laws.
“The policy violates Section 40 of the Constitution, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act, Article 10 of the African Charter, and several ILO conventions that Nigeria is party to,” Falana said.
Health authorities have also expressed alarm over the potential impact of a strike. Minister of State for Health, Isaq Salako, warned that a shutdown in fuel supply could cripple hospital operations across the country.
“Our hospitals are 65 to 80 per cent dependent on diesel and petrol generators. A strike by NUPENG will obviously affect the health sector, and you don’t want that,” Salako said.
As of press time, no follow-up meeting had been scheduled. The standoff continues, with Nigerians bracing for possible disruptions in fuel supply and critical services.