A fresh crisis is brewing in the nation’s downstream oil sector as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened to stop loading fuel over what it described as an attempt by the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery to edge out its Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch.
The union, in a statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, on Friday, accused the refinery of introducing policies inimical to the survival of its members following plans to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution.
NUPENG lamented that the founder of the refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had allegedly stated that new drivers would be recruited for the imported trucks and that none of them would be allowed to join any union.
Describing the development as an “affront to the right of association, guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution,” the union insisted that the policy was also a “breach of relevant international labour laws to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
The statement recalled that several meetings were held, jointly with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, to appeal to Dangote to rescind his position on not allowing drivers to join trade unions. According to NUPENG, the appeals were ignored.
“Arising from the unfortunate outcome of the meeting, the leadership of the union has made several efforts to get relevant institutions of the country to make Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his cousin, Alhaji Sayyu Ali Dantata, follow the line of global best practices and decency, but all to no avail.
“To our utmost shock, Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata’s MRS commenced the recruitment of drivers for the imported CNG trucks on Friday, August 29, 2025. The drivers being recruited are being forced to sign an undertaking not to belong to any existing union in the oil and gas industry,” the union said.
It further described the actions of the two businessmen as “unconscionable business practices,” adding that “NUPENG is seriously concerned and disturbed with the unconscionable business practices of Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who are scared of allowing unions to exist in their business outfits.”
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NUPENG reminded the public that it stood in solidarity with Dangote Refinery during its construction and commissioning “in expectation that it would create jobs, strengthen local capacity, and benefit the Nigerian people, under a conducive atmosphere for unions to thrive.”
“Unfortunately, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has chosen to betray that trust by scheming to monopolise distribution, crush competition, 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, therefore, appealed to oil industry regulatory agencies to intervene in the crisis but warned that it would direct members to stop loading petroleum products nationwide from Monday, September 8.
“Meanwhile, since Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his cousin have resolved to replace all petroleum tanker drivers in Nigeria, and there is no one or institution that can stop him, the members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG will, from Monday, 8th September 2025, start looking for alternative employment/skills and sources of livelihoods.
“We plead with the general public to bear any inconveniences our struggle against this tyranny and indecency may cause; it is a struggle that must be waged! We call on all other industrial unions and the central labour organisations, the NLC, TUC, and global union federations, to get ready to stand in solidarity with peaceful mass actions and industrial actions in defending labour rights,” it added.
The union also called on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority to invoke its powers under Section 32(u) & (aa) of the Petroleum Industry Act to “identify, investigate, and prevent abuse of dominant positions and restrictive business practices with regard to midstream and downstream petroleum operations.”
“Any practice or policy by any employer which seeks to deprive workers of the right of association is an affront to the Constitution. Above all, the right of association, including membership of trade unions, is guaranteed by Section 40 of the Constitution. Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his cousin, Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata, should not be allowed to enslave Nigerian workers. They should be made to be lawful businesspersons and not lawless individuals or business outfits. Nigeria is a country of laws, not a lawless society.
“By this statement, we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies, including well-meaning segments of the Nigerian society, to call the two trillionaire businessmen to order. They should be told to obey the laws of Nigeria. If they persist in their anti-union tyrannical attitudes, NUPENG is set and ready to mobilise its forces to fight within the framework of the law,” the statement added.
The importation of the 4,000 CNG trucks, which the refinery says will ensure direct distribution of fuel to retailers, has sparked mixed reactions among stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
