THE brewing face-off between Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) intensified on Friday, as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery threw a bold challenge at the union to reveal the identities of those who allegedly squandered over $18 billion on Nigeria’s comatose government-owned refineries.
In a hard-hitting statement made available to News Point Nigeria, the Dangote Group questioned why the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries despite years of so-called “turnaround maintenance” and rehabilitation remain moribund, leaving Nigeria heavily reliant on fuel imports.
“We must begin to ask what has happened to all four FGN-owned refineries,” the company stated.
“When Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were privatised to a consortium including Dangote in 2007, NUPENG fought against the process.
“Yet today, after nearly $18 billion has been spent, Nigerians still have nothing to show for it. Who spent this colossal sum with zero results? Can NUPENG help Nigerians unravel this mystery?”
The latest clash follows fresh allegations from NUPENG that the Dangote Refinery is attempting to monopolise the fuel distribution market and undermine workers’ rights by allegedly barring newly recruited tanker drivers from joining the union.
The refinery pushed back strongly, insisting that it operates within a fully deregulated market framework under the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and has no intention of creating a monopoly.
“Assertions of monopolistic intent are both legally and factually incorrect,” Dangote’s statement read, while reaffirming its respect for constitutionally protected labour rights and freedom of association.
Friday’s escalation came just hours after a closed-door meeting at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja, aimed at resolving the industrial crisis.
At the meeting, chaired by the Ministry of Labour, both sides were urged to maintain the status quo and abide by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier in the week.
However, tensions flared when NUPENG alleged that Dangote’s management ordered truck drivers to remove union stickers and replace them with those of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association, a new body reportedly backed by the refinery.
In response, NUPENG members blocked the refinery entrance with trucks, halting the loading of fuel and threatening a nationwide strike if their demands are ignored.
In a fiery statement signed by its National President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG accused Dangote Refinery of offering Nigerians a “Greek gift” through free nationwide fuel deliveries, a move they allege is aimed at crushing competition and forcing drivers into a company-controlled association.
“NUPENG will resist any attempt to deny refinery workers and drivers their right to freedom of association and unionisation. Nigerians must not be deceived by this so-called generosity,” the statement read.
The union also warned that its leaders must not be harassed or harmed during the dispute, warning that any such action would trigger “massive and crippling industrial action.”
In 2007, Dangote and a consortium acquired two refineries during a privatisation exercise under President Olusegun Obasanjo, but the sale was reversed following opposition from labour unions, including NUPENG.
Since then, official figures suggest over $18 billion has been spent with little to no progress, a situation Dangote now insists Nigerians must confront head-on.