NUPENG has ordered Tanker Drivers to dump Dangote Depot over union rights dispute.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that Nigeria may face another wave of fuel scarcity as tensions escalate between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Refinery, threatening nationwide disruption of petroleum product distribution.
NUPENG has directed its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch to halt loading petroleum products from Dangote depots starting Monday, September 8.
In an official statement signed by NUPENG President Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union accused Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices that undermine the livelihoods of its members.
Dispute Over Union Rights
The core of the dispute centers on Dangote Refinery’s reported policy that drivers recruited for its 10,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks cannot join any trade union. NUPENG described this as “an affront on the right of association guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution and a breach of international labour laws to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
According to the union, multiple appeals including interventions with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) urging Dangote to reverse this stance, have been ignored.
Alleged Recruitment by Dangote’s Cousin
NUPENG further alleged that on August 29, MRS Holdings, owned by Dangote’s cousin Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, began recruiting drivers under strict conditions that they must sign agreements forbidding union membership.
The union warned that such practices amount to modern-day enslavement of Nigerian workers. “Amassing wealth on the basis of depriving workers of a union and voice amounts to creating filthy wealth. NUPENG will not stand idly by while these billionaires seek to destroy the livelihoods of thousands of workers, including tanker drivers,” the statement said.
Recalling its support for the refinery during construction, NUPENG stated it expected job creation, sectoral growth, and improved welfare. Instead, it accused Dangote of attempting to “monopolise distribution, crush competition, enslave the sector, and raise prices… This is not philanthropy; it is economic sabotage.”
The union has called on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to use its powers under Section 32 of the Petroleum Industry Act to curb abuse of dominance and restrictive business practices. It emphasized that the right to unionize is protected under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and ILO Convention No. 87, ratified by Nigeria in 1960.
Warning of Nationwide Action
NUPENG warned that if the impasse continues, it will mobilize its members across the country. “Since Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his cousin have resolved to replace all Petroleum Tanker Drivers in Nigeria and there is no one or institution that can stop them, the members of the PTD Branch of NUPENG will from Monday, 8th September 2025, start looking for alternative employments and livelihoods,” the statement declared.
The union appealed to Nigerians to brace for potential inconveniences from the looming strike, describing the action as a fight against “tyranny and indecency.”