Barely 48 hours after suspending its nationwide strike, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has accused the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals of violating the terms of a recent agreement brokered by the Federal Government and the Department of State Services (DSS).
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG warned that it may resume its suspended industrial action due to what it described as the refinery’s refusal to honour a key resolution regarding the unionisation of its workforce.
“We are by this statement placing all our members on red alert for the resumption of the suspended nationwide industrial action,” the union said, adding that it is calling on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), civil society groups, and international labour bodies to stand in solidarity.
The current standoff stems from a closed-door meeting convened earlier this week by the DSS, with the goal of resolving ongoing tensions between NUPENG and the Dangote Group.
The meeting, held in Abuja, was attended by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, representatives of the NLC, NUPENG, and officials from the Dangote Refinery. One of the core resolutions, according to NUPENG, was that the refinery’s management agreed to recognise and respect the rights of workers to unionise, particularly members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG.
However, in a statement released Thursday, NUPENG alleged that the Dangote Refinery had already begun to renege on the agreement, citing incidents where truck drivers were reportedly ordered to remove NUPENG stickers from their vehicles—an act the union views as direct intimidation and union suppression.
The union also criticized the alleged involvement of security personnel in enforcing anti-union activities, accusing certain agencies of acting under the influence of private interests.
“We call on the Federal Government not to allow the Navy and other security agents—who are paid by public resources—to be used with impunity against the laws and people of this country,” the union said.
“Security agents should not be complicit in undermining agreements that were reached under the very facilitation of these agencies and ministers of the Federal Republic.”
NUPENG warned that the alleged breach not only threatens industrial peace but also undermines trust in government-led negotiations.
