FG moves to halt NUPENG strike

The Federal Government has waded into the looming industrial action by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), appealing to the union to suspend its planned nationwide strike scheduled to commence on Monday, September 8, 2025.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed on Sunday that he had summoned NUPENG, the management of Dangote Refinery, and other stakeholders to a conciliation meeting in Abuja.

The intervention follows heightened tensions over allegations that Dangote Group has barred drivers of its imported Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks from joining trade unions.

In a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia, the minister urged NUPENG to reconsider its decision to halt petroleum lifting operations, warning that such action would cripple the economy and inflict untold hardship on Nigerians.

“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 the petroleum sector remains the lifeline of Nigeria’s economy, noting that any disruption, even for a single day, could result in losses running into billions of naira and trigger nationwide scarcity. “The petroleum sector is very important to this country. A strike will not only lead to massive revenue losses but also impose severe hardship on ordinary Nigerians,” he cautioned.

Dingyadi further assured both labour and the private refinery management that the government is committed to brokering a resolution acceptable to all parties. “The matter will be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” he added.

The appeal comes after NUPENG, through its leadership, reaffirmed on Sunday that there would be no going back on the strike, accusing Dangote Refinery of creating a rival drivers’ association to undermine unionisation. The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG had already declared its readiness to halt lifting of petroleum products nationwide from Monday in protest.

With both sides standing firm, Monday’s conciliation meeting in Abuja is expected to be decisive in determining whether Nigerians will face fuel shortages and a possible nationwide disruption in the oil and gas sector.