By Omoh Baba,
The Federal Government on Monday opened a closed-door meeting with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group in a bid to avert an industrial crisis that threatens to paralyze the nation’s petroleum sector.
The conciliation meeting, which is underway in Abuja, is being chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, alongside the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
Also present are top officials of NUPENG, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), executives of the Dangote Group, and officials of MRS Petroleum.
The dialogue comes after NUPENG announced plans last Friday to withdraw its members from duty beginning Monday, September 8, 2025, in protest against alleged anti-labour practices at the Dangote Refinery. The union accused the company of blocking its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining recognised trade unions.
Despite objections from the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), who both distanced themselves from the strike, NUPENG reaffirmed on Sunday that the planned action would proceed.
FG Appeals for Restraint
Alarmed by the threat of a shutdown in the oil sector, the Federal Government on Sunday urged NUPENG to shelve the strike and allow dialogue.
In a statement signed by the Ministry’s Head of Information, Patience Onuobia, Minister Dingyadi appealed to the union to rescind its decision, stressing that the petroleum industry was too critical to the nation’s economy to be disrupted.
“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the economy. A strike, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact, leading to heavy revenue losses running into billions of naira and causing untold hardship for Nigerians,” he said.
The minister further urged the NLC to withdraw its red alert to affiliate unions, which directed them to prepare for solidarity action against what it described as “anti-worker and anti-union practices” by the Dangote Group.
Falana Backs NUPENG
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has thrown his weight behind NUPENG, describing Dangote’s policy as unconstitutional and unlawful.
Falana argued that the company’s position violates Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act, and Article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. He added that it also contravenes international labour standards, including International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, as well as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Strike Could Cripple Health Sector
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Health, Isaq Salako, has warned of grave consequences for hospitals nationwide should NUPENG proceed with the strike.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Monday, Salako noted that Nigerian hospitals rely heavily on fuel-powered generators for electricity.
“A strike by NUPENG will obviously affect the health sector because, as it is today, our hospitals are 65 to 80 per cent dependent on diesel and petrol generators,” Salako said. “So if there is a strike, it will also have an adverse effect on the health sector, and you obviously don’t want that.”
He appealed to both parties to act with restraint in the interest of Nigerians, warning that the health and economic implications of a shutdown could be dire.
The high-stakes meeting continues, with Nigerians anxiously awaiting its outcome.
More details to follow…
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