NUPENG Threatens Nationwide Fuel Disruption Over Alleged Anti-Union Policy at Dangote Refinery
NUPENG Threatens Nationwide Fuel Disruption Over Alleged Anti-Union Policy at Dangote Refinery
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has warned that petroleum tanker drivers linked to its branch may begin seeking alternative livelihoods from Monday, September 8, 2025, following what the union calls the “anti-union” recruitment conditions at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Eagles Sight News has gathered.
NUPENG’s leadership said the refinery — which had earlier announced plans to deploy thousands of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tankers to overhaul fuel distribution — is recruiting drivers on terms that bar them from joining existing oil-and-gas unions. The union claims the drivers were being made to sign undertakings that disallow union membership.
In a statement signed by NUPENG President Williams Akhoreha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union said: “The drivers being recruited are being forced to sign an undertaking not to belong to any existing union in the oil and gas industry.” NUPENG described the practice as unconstitutional and a breach of international labour standards to which Nigeria is a signatory.
The union warned that if the alleged policy continues, it will mobilize its forces within the law and called on federal authorities and regulators, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to intervene. NUPENG explained that its petroleum tanker drivers branch would “from Monday, 8th September 2025, start looking for alternative employments/skills and sources of livelihoods,” a move officials say is a last resort to protect members’ rights.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has responded through its spokesman, stressing that the company has created jobs and that changes in distribution do not invalidate workers’ rights. The refinery’s communications team told journalists the scheme is meant to expand capacity and job opportunities even as it denied any intention to strip workers of lawful rights. Industry observers caution, however, that a clash between the refinery and organized labour could disrupt distribution networks and risk localized fuel shortages if not resolved swiftly.
Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and other industry groups have taken differing stances, with some urging calm and negotiation while others back NUPENG’s demand for full respect of the right of association. Labour advocates are calling for urgent dialogue between the refinery, unions, the Federal Government, and regulators to head off industrial action and protect both jobs and national fuel security.