The Department of State Services has summoned the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers to an emergency meeting following rising tensions over alleged violation of a labour pact on workers’ right to join unions.
The meeting, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday in Abuja, will also have in attendance representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other stakeholders.
On September 9, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the DSS Headquarters in Abuja. The agreement, witnessed by top government officials and labour leaders, affirmed that workers were free to associate with any union without interference.
But less than 24 hours later, NUPENG accused Dangote’s management of reneging on the deal. The company denied the allegations, insisting that union membership at the refinery was voluntary and in line with Nigerian law and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, NUPENG leaders, President Prince Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, alleged that Dangote Petroleum Refinery had launched a campaign to weaken the union.
“The press statement by Dangote Petroleum Refinery dated 11th September 2025 further confirms the company’s aim to crush our union, NUPENG, as well as stifle competition, with the ultimate goal of increasing fuel prices in the long run,” the union said.
It further alleged that the company directed drivers to remove NUPENG stickers from trucks and replace them with those of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), which the union described as a management-backed body.
“Our members have firmly resisted this directive,” the statement added. “The attempt to create an illusion of division within our union is not only malicious but entirely fabricated. If a ‘faction of tanker drivers’ truly existed, Dangote should have persuaded them to call off the nationwide strike of Petroleum Tanker Drivers, which was effective, peaceful, and 100 percent successful.”
The union also accused the company of shielding individuals who had lost past elections in the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch, some of whom, it claimed, face criminal charges at the FCT High Court.
“Nigerians must not be deceived by the company’s offer of free nationwide fuel delivery,” NUPENG added. “This move is aimed at discouraging other employers from hiring tanker drivers so that only Dangote-employed drivers — compelled to join the DTCDA — will remain in the workforce.”
The statement further noted that beyond tanker drivers, administrative and operational staff at the refinery had also faced restrictions on unionisation. “It is on record that Dangote Group does not permit unionisation in its cement and sugar plants across Nigeria,” it said.
As of the time of filing this report, Dangote Group had not issued a fresh response to NUPENG’s latest claims. Its earlier position maintained that “association with any trade union at the refinery remains strictly voluntary.”
