The uneasy truce between the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery has broken down, sparking a renewed labour dispute that may plunge the country into another round of fuel shortages.
The conflict erupted after NUPENG accused the refinery of violating a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier this week. The deal, witnessed by the Federal Government, granted Petroleum Tanker Drivers the right to freely unionise.
NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, specifically accused Sayyu Aliu Dantata, a cousin of billionaire Aliko Dangote and operator of the refinery’s trucking business, of disregarding the September 9 resolution reached at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja.
“Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata flew over them several times with his helicopter and then called the navy of the Federal Republic to come over ostensibly to crush the union officials. Our members are waiting for him and his agents to run them over,” Akporeha declared.
According to him, within 48 hours of the Abuja meeting, drivers were ordered to strip NUPENG stickers from their vehicles and forcefully enter refinery premises in defiance of union loading rules.
The union condemned what it termed “impunity” and urged the government not to allow security agencies funded by taxpayers to be used against ordinary workers.
okay.ng reports that NUPENG has now placed members on “red alert” for a potential resumption of its nationwide strike, which was suspended following the MoU signing.
The refinery, however, strongly denied the allegations in a September 11 statement, describing them as “wholly inaccurate.” It insisted that union membership remains a voluntary right and stressed that its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucking initiative will create more than 60,000 direct jobs, complete with pensions, housing loans, and insurance.
Observers warn that the crisis is bigger than an employer-employee dispute. It now represents a test of Nigeria’s labour laws, the authority of government, and the balance of power between powerful private conglomerates and national institutions.
For ordinary Nigerians, the fear remains whether the confrontation will spark another fuel scarcity, raising pump prices and worsening hardship.
