The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) has failed to reach a peace deal with Dangote Refinery over their demand for unionisation of staff of the company, accusing the company of staging a walkout during the meeting with the Federal Government.
Metrobusinessnews.com (MBN) gathered that although Dangote bowed to pressure by allowing unionisation of its staff, the NUPENG representatives were said not to be comfortable with some clauses in the communique that was to be issued after the meeting.
“Some clauses in the communique were very offensive to us as members of NUPENG as it did not liberate, wholly, the staff. Some clauses as advocated by Dangote, suggest that they will still have control over their staff and their allegiance to the ideals of NUPENG will nit be total. So, that made us to retreat in signing the document, only, to find out that the representatives of Dangote staged a walkout on all of us, including the minister, claiming that their time was being wasted. So, what it means is that the strike will continue and sooner than later, some attendants of some fuel stations who are members of NUPENG, will, in a couple of hours from now, desert their stations, in compliance with our directive,” a source told MBN early this morning.
Specifically, the deadlock as a result of the refinery’s representatives reportedly staged a walkout, heightening tensions and leaving the strike firmly in place.
The FG had summoned NUPENG and Dangote to an emergency meeting as part of efforts to resolve the industrial dispute between the two parties to avert the planned industrial action by NUPENG.
The meeting was led by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
Present at the meeting were the national executives of NUPENG and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Also present was the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ogbugo Ukoha, as well as representatives of the Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum.
NUPENG had last Friday announced that its members would cease work from September 8 in protest against alleged moves by the Dangote Refinery to prevent its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining labour unions.
Although both the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) distanced themselves from the planned action, NUPENG reaffirmed on Sunday that it would proceed with the industrial action.
However, it hit a deadlock after the refinery’s representatives reportedly staged a walkout, heightening tensions and leaving the strike firmly in place.
Speaking shortly after the meeting, which dragged past midnight, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, expressed optimism that a resolution was still possible.
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According to him, “We have not been able to reach a final agreement on this matter because of a stalemate, and we are still trying to resolve the issues. It was getting late, and most of the parties had to return to Lagos tonight, so we had to call it off.”
The Minister appealed for calm among stakeholders, assuring that discussions would continue to prevent further escalation of the crisis. “We are confident that maybe by tomorrow we will be able to resolve the issues. Both parties tried to listen and cooperate as much as possible, but as with any negotiation, there are always issues that cannot be resolved immediately.
“However, we believe we will sort them out. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace. We will do our best to secure an agreement and ensure the strike is called off. This is the situation so far,” he said.
Following the deadlocked talks, NUPENG said that it will continue with the nationwide industrial action, which had already taken its toll in some states, following the shutdown of filling stations in several parts of the country.
The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Benson Upah, told journalists after the labour delegation exited the Ministry’s premises around 12:00 a.m. that the meeting ended abruptly when the refinery’s team walked out on both the Minister and labour leaders.
“The representative of the Dangote Refinery walked out on the Honourable Minister and Organized Labour. So, there was no agreement,” Upah said. “Even when we bent over backwards to accommodate his uncompromising behaviour, he still did what he did. So, we are left with no choice but to do the needful. The action continues.”
When asked if a breakthrough was still possible, Upah stressed that labour was open to dialogue but could not negotiate alone. “That is not for us to decide. It takes more than one party to reach a resolution. Whenever the refinery’s representative sees the need for genuine dialogue, we are ready anytime—even tonight. If they change their mind and return willing to discuss, we are here,” he stated.
Echoing the NLC’s stance, the President of NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha, said the strike was not only about workers’ rights but also about protecting Nigerians against what he described as a creeping monopoly by the Dangote Group. Akporeha accused the refinery’s owner of attempting to enslave workers by denying them the right to unionize and suppressing their voices in the workplace.
“Our action on this matter as organized labour is in the interest of Nigerians. We cannot stand an investor whose main purpose is to enslave Nigerians. He cannot take us back to the dark days of slavery,” Akporeha declared. “Nigerians have wished him well, but he should not repay them with enslavement. It is unfortunate that we have an investor who says there cannot be a union in his establishment. He wants to monopolize the entire system, including the workers. This we reject, and it cannot happen during our time.”
The deadlock means that the nationwide strike declared by NUPENG, and backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress, will continue, potentially crippling petroleum distribution and causing widespread disruption. With both sides holding firm, all eyes are now on the Federal Government as it scrambles to bring the feuding parties back to the negotiating table before the crisis spirals further out of control.