THE Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has raised the alarm over an impending nationwide fuel scarcity, warning that its members may suspend operations following a festering dispute with the management of the Dangote Refinery.
In a strongly worded statement signed by Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale, President and General Secretary of NUPENG respectively, the union accused Dangote Refinery of “anti-labour practices” and an outright denial of workers’ constitutional right to freedom of association.
According to the union, Dangote has barred drivers recruited to operate its newly imported 10,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks from joining any trade union. NUPENG described the move as “an affront on labour rights, international conventions, and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.”
The union claimed that on August 29, 2025, the refinery’s sister company, MRS Oil, began recruiting drivers under coercive conditions.
“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 alleged.
It described the actions of Dangote and his cousin, Alhaji Sayyu Ali Dantata, as “unconscionable business practices” designed to suppress workers’ voices.
“Amassing wealth on the basis of enslavement, depriving workers of a union and voice amounts to creating filthy wealth,” the union said.
NUPENG recalled its strong support for the construction and commissioning of the Dangote Refinery, noting that it had anticipated the facility would generate jobs, strengthen domestic refining capacity, and benefit ordinary Nigerians.
Instead, the union accused the refinery of betraying that trust.
“Unfortunately, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has chosen to betray that trust by scheming to monopolise distribution, crush competition, and enslave the sector and raise prices, which would ultimately result in an attack on the living standards of the masses of ordinary Nigerians. This is not philanthropy; it is economic sabotage,” the statement read.
The union warned that unless the matter is urgently addressed, it would direct its members to stop loading and distributing petroleum products nationwide beginning Monday, September 8, 2025.
Such a move could plunge the country into widespread fuel scarcity, with ripple effects on transport costs, electricity supply, and overall economic activity.
NUPENG called on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA) to intervene, invoking provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that empower the regulator to curb monopolistic practices and protect fair competition.
“The Authority must exercise its powers under Section 32(u) & (aa) of the PIA to identify, investigate and prevent abuse of dominant positions in the midstream and downstream sectors,” the union stated.
The statement further reminded government agencies that Nigeria is a signatory to international labour treaties, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions that safeguard workers’ right to unionise.
The brewing standoff underscores rising tensions in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, with organised labour increasingly resisting what it sees as the dominance of private monopolies at the expense of workers’ rights.
If unresolved, the NUPENG-Dangote clash threatens to disrupt fuel supplies across the country, worsening economic hardship already faced by millions of Nigerians.