The Department of State Services (DSS) has summoned the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to an emergency meeting following escalating tensions over claims that the company breached a recent agreement on workers’ rights. The meeting, scheduled for Friday afternoon in Abuja, is also expected to include representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
The dispute stems from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on September 9 at the DSS headquarters, which guaranteed Dangote Refinery workers the freedom to join any trade union of their choice without interference. The signing was witnessed by top labour leaders, government ministers, and security officials, and was seen as a breakthrough after weeks of industrial tension. However, less than 24 hours later, NUPENG accused Dangote’s management of violating the pact, alleging that the company was undermining its members’ rights while promoting a rival association.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, NUPENG leadership accused Dangote Group of misrepresenting facts about its relationship with workers and attempting to “crush the union.” The union alleged that refinery officials ordered the removal of NUPENG stickers from trucks and replaced them with those of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), which it claims was created and backed by management. The union further alleged that individuals with a history of losing elections within NUPENG’s Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch were now being used to weaken its influence, some of whom are reportedly facing criminal charges.
NUPENG also warned Nigerians against being deceived by Dangote’s offer of free nationwide petrol delivery, describing it as a strategy to dominate the fuel distribution chain by sidelining independent tanker drivers and weakening unionised labour. The union insisted that not only tanker drivers but also refinery staff and workers in Dangote’s cement and sugar plants have long been denied the right to freely unionise, in violation of Nigerian labour laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards.
As of press time, Dangote Group had yet to issue a response to NUPENG’s latest accusations. In an earlier statement, the company insisted that membership in any trade union within its operations remained voluntary, stressing that it had not contravened the MoU. With the DSS now stepping in to mediate, Friday’s meeting will be crucial in preventing a full-scale industrial crisis that could disrupt fuel distribution across the country.
