By Emiola Osifeso
Efforts by the Federal Government to resolve the raging dispute between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) ended in a deadlock on Monday, as marathon talks dragged late into the night without producing a final resolution.
The closed-door meeting, convened at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity in Abuja, brought together major stakeholders in the oil and gas sector in an attempt to reconcile the refinery with NUPENG over the unionisation of petroleum tanker drivers and refinery workers.
Despite the presence of two senior cabinet members, the Minister of Labour, Muhammed Dingyadi, and the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiru Onyejeocha who jointly chaired the talks, discussions ran into complications. The Federal Government had hoped that all sides would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the crisis immediately, but disagreements from representatives of the Dangote Group stalled the process.
The tense meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. but started hours behind schedule due to the late arrival of union officials, dragged past 10 p.m., with no definitive breakthrough.
Senior officials in attendance included leaders of NUPENG, executives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), as well as delegates from Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum.
While the talks were ongoing in Abuja, the strike directive issued by NUPENG took full effect nationwide. Fuel loading at depots across the country was paralysed, with tanker drivers fully complying with instructions not to lift petroleum products.
Checks by Spear News correspondent confirmed that depots in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Delta State were under lock and key, with trucks grounded as drivers awaited fresh instructions from the union. Some depots, including those belonging to Aiteo, RainOil, Shell+, Matrix, MAO, First Royal, and Integrated Oil and Gas, were completely shut down.
In Port Harcourt, the Aradel refinery was forced to suspend operations, while the Kwale Hydrocarbon plant in Delta State also went offline. Similar shutdowns were reported at private depots in Sokoto, where union officials physically sealed filling stations, barricading major highways and disrupting the distribution of petroleum products.
Eyewitnesses in Sokoto told Spear News that NUPENG officials placed barricades along Gusau Road and other critical routes linking the state capital with neighbouring towns. Commercial motorists expressed concern over looming fuel scarcity, with many predicting an imminent hike in transport fares.
A tricycle operator, Bello Musa, lamented: “Most stations are shut, and those few that are open are already crowded. If this continues, fares will rise, and it will affect everybody.”
Union Resistance to Dangote’s Alleged Anti-Union Policy
The bone of contention remains Dangote Refinery’s alleged decision to restrict workers’ unionisation, particularly regarding the 4,000 truck drivers expected to operate under the company. NUPENG has insisted that such a policy amounts to an attack on workers’ rights.
On Friday, NUPENG had publicly announced its intention to halt all fuel loading nationwide in response to what it described as anti-labour practices at the refinery. Its President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed to Spear News on Sunday that despite appeals from the Federal Government to suspend the action, the strike would proceed.
By Monday morning, compliance was near total. NUPENG officials were sighted at depots enforcing the directive, while some accused Dangote and MRS of plotting to sideline existing unionised drivers by recruiting new staff outside the union’s reach.
In a dramatic escalation, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) declared its full solidarity with NUPENG. In a strongly worded statement signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the senior staff union accused Dangote Refinery of persistently resisting unionisation since its inception.
The statement warned: “If this matter is not urgently resolved, PENGASSAN will have no choice but to join in shutting down the refinery operations. Continued denial of workers’ rights will no longer be tolerated.”
PENGASSAN described the right to unionise as both a constitutional guarantee and an International Labour Organisation standard, stressing that denying refinery workers such rights undermines fair labour practices and workplace dignity.
The union added that its support for NUPENG was not only about tanker drivers but also extended to all employees of Dangote Refinery and allied companies.
Meanwhile, other key industry associations including the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) also threatened to withdraw services if the standoff persisted.
NOGASA President, Bennett Korie, went further to direct suppliers of petroleum products to telecom sites, hotels, industries, and construction firms nationwide to suspend deliveries from Tuesday morning if dialogue failed. He appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and forestall wider disruption.
PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harry, also instructed members to halt fuel sales from midnight Tuesday should the strike remain unresolved.
Though the impact of Monday’s strike was yet to be fully felt across the country, analysts and stakeholders warned that a prolonged shutdown would trigger acute fuel shortages, skyrocket transport fares, and inflict more hardship on Nigerians already grappling with high living costs.
The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) also expressed concern over the rising tension in the downstream oil sector. In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, the association called for urgent dialogue to prevent a full-scale crisis in petroleum supply and distribution.
As of late Monday night, talks between Dangote Refinery and NUPENG, brokered by the Labour Ministry, were still ongoing, with both sides under pressure to reach a compromise.
However, with solidarity mounting among allied unions and service providers threatening to join the strike, the standoff has become a critical test of both the government’s mediation efforts and Dangote’s ability to manage relations with organised labour in Nigeria’s most sensitive sector.
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