THE Federal Government has stepped into the escalating dispute between the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, summoning all parties to a conciliation meeting in Abuja to avert a looming nationwide strike.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, confirmed that the intervention was aimed at defusing rising tensions over allegations of anti-union practices at Africa’s largest refinery.
NUPENG had, on Friday, announced plans to begin a nationwide industrial action on Monday, September 8, 2025, threatening to halt petroleum loading across the country.
The Minister, through the ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia, pleaded with the oil workers’ union to suspend its strike directive and urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw the “red alert” it issued in solidarity with NUPENG.
“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.
“I also appeal to the NLC to withdraw the red alert it issued to its affiliate unions to be on standby for a nationwide strike,” Dingyadi said.
The Minister stressed that an industrial action in the petroleum sector would have devastating effects on the country’s economy and the welfare of its citizens.
“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the country’s economy. A strike in the petroleum sector, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact. It will not only lead to revenue losses running into billions of naira but also cause untold hardship for Nigerians,” Dingyadi warned.
He assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would ensure an amicable resolution.
“The matter will be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” he added.
The conflict stems from the Dangote Refinery’s plan to import 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct distribution of refined products to retailers.
Originally scheduled to begin on August 15, 2025, the plan was delayed due to logistics challenges in China but is expected to commence once the vehicles arrive in large numbers.
NUPENG, however, accused the refinery of anti-labour practices, particularly over alleged moves to bar new drivers of the trucks from joining trade unions.
In a statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG described the refinery’s stance as a violation of the Nigerian Constitution and international labour conventions, warning that it posed an existential threat to its Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch.
The union also lamented that repeated efforts to persuade the refinery’s management to reconsider had been ignored.
