FG begs NUPENG to shelve strike over Dangote refinery dispute

The federal government has appealed to the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to suspend its planned nationwide strike slated for Monday, over a labour dispute with the Dangote refinery.

Daily Times reported that NUPENG had announced on September 5 that its members would begin sourcing alternative employment from September 8.

It alleged that Dangote refinery barred its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining labour unions.

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) distanced themselves from the strike.

However, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) vowed to stop lifting and dispensing fuel for three days in solidarity.

On Sunday, Labour and Employment Minister Muhammad Dingyadi urged NUPENG to reconsider.

“I have invited all the parties for a conciliation meeting tomorrow, Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have intervened, I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow,” he said.

He also appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw its strike alert to affiliated unions.

“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the country’s economy. A strike in the petroleum sector, even for just a day, will have an adverse consequential impact on the economy,” Dingyadi warned.

According to him, the strike would cause “heavy revenue losses by the country, running into billions of Naira, but also untold hardship and difficulties for Nigerians.”

The minister assured the public that government intervention would yield results.

“Hence, I plead with the unions to give peace a chance. I assure them that this matter will be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” he said.