The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Tuesday suspended its two-day strike after reaching an agreement with the management of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals, bringing relief to Nigerians who had begun to feel the impact of fuel supply disruptions across the country.
The suspension followed a conciliation meeting convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, with officials of the Federal Government, the Dangote Group, and other stakeholders in Abuja.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed after the meeting, the management of Dangote Refinery agreed to allow its employees to unionise, in line with provisions of Nigeria’s labour laws.
“Workers’ unionisation is a right under the law. The management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals has agreed to the unionisation of its employees and pledged not to victimise any staff over the process,” the MoU stated. It added that the exercise would begin immediately and be completed within two weeks, between September 9 and 22, 2025.
The agreement was signed by representatives of NUPENG, the Dangote Group, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Ministry of Labour.
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NUPENG had declared the strike last Friday over allegations that Dangote planned to bar drivers of its 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas-powered trucks from joining the union. The refinery, which had earlier scheduled the trucks to commence direct fuel distribution from August 15, delayed the rollout due to logistics challenges.
The industrial action, which entered its second day on Tuesday before being suspended, led to the closure of filling stations in parts of Cross River, Kaduna, Lagos, and Ogun states, while pump prices were adjusted upwards in Sokoto and Enugu. Panic buying was also reported in some areas.
Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) members joined the strike on Tuesday, further tightening supply. PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harry, described the situation as a looming danger but commended the government’s swift intervention.
With the truce reached, parties are expected to reconvene at the Ministry of Labour one week after the conclusion of the unionisation process.
