By Opara Ejike
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has expressed serious concern over an alleged breach of the recently signed agreement between the union and the management of Dangote Refinery. The union has warned that it may be forced to resume its suspended strike if urgent steps are not taken to address the violations.
This warning comes shortly after the union suspended a nationwide strike earlier in the week, following the intervention of the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Department of State Services (DSS). The strike had been launched in protest against what NUPENG described as anti-labour practices at the Dangote Refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos.
NUPENG accused the refinery of frustrating workers’ rights to freedom of association and attempting to impose an employer-sponsored association known as the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA). The union also raised concerns about poor working conditions and low wages for drivers and contract workers at the facility.
After a series of high-level meetings in Abuja involving NUPENG, the Dangote Group, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on September 9, 2025.
Under the agreement, Dangote Group committed to allow its workers to freely join any legally recognized union, to begin an immediate and transparent unionisation process, and to refrain from sponsoring or supporting any rival or unregistered associations. It also assured that no worker would be penalized for participating in union activities or in the earlier strike.
Based on this understanding, NUPENG suspended its strike.
However, tensions have resurfaced barely days after the truce. NUPENG now alleges that the management of Dangote Refinery is not fully complying with the terms of the MoU. Reports from workers suggest ongoing intimidation, delays in processing union membership, and administrative roadblocks that could potentially derail the unionisation timeline.
A senior union official, speaking anonymously, stated that if the refinery fails to honour the terms of the agreement by the September 22 deadline, the strike may be resumed this time with stronger resolve.
The Ministry of Labour has promised to ensure full implementation of the agreement and to convene a follow-up meeting shortly after the unionisation deadline expires.
Meanwhile, the Dangote Refinery continues operations, but the renewed tension has cast uncertainty over the facility’s labour relations and broader implications for industrial harmony in Nigeria’s energy sector.
