NUPENG halts strike as Dangote accepts Union’s requirement
NUPENG suspends strike
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its two-day strike after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government and the Dangote Group on the unionisation of refinery workers.
NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed the suspension on Tuesday after a marathon meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The meeting, which came a day after an earlier round of talks collapsed, had in attendance Dangote Group officials led by Sayyu Dantata, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the end of deliberations, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals accepted that its employees are free to join registered labour unions in line with Nigerian labour laws.
Key highlights of the agreement include: the unionisation process will begin immediately and be completed between September 9 and 22, 2025. Also, no alternative union will be created by the refinery and no employee will be victimised for participating in the strike or joining a union.
Signatories to the MoU include Sayyu Dantata (Dangote), Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale (NUPENG), OK Ukoha (NMDPRA), Amos Falonipe (Labour Ministry), as well as NLC and TUC representatives.
Before the resolution, the strike had already entered its second day, grounding fuel distribution in many parts of the country as filling stations shut their doors. NUPENG had threatened last week to withdraw its members from fuel loading operations following reports that Dangote Refinery intended to bar truck drivers recruited for its 4,000-truck fleet from joining unions.
