By Deborah Nnamdi
The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has announced that the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), a parallel union allegedly created by the management of Dangote Refinery, has been formally disbanded.
The decision formed part of an agreement reached on Tuesday between NUPENG leadership and representatives of the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery, paving the way for the suspension of a nationwide strike embarked upon by fuel tanker drivers.
The truce was brokered during a high-level meeting convened at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja, with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, and the Minister of Finance also in attendance.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, NUPENG President, Comrade Williams Akporeha, confirmed that all contentious issues had been harmonized.
“We signed an agreement and members have agreed to the unionisation of workers in Dangote Petrochemical Refinery,” he said. “The strike has been called off and tankers have already started loading petroleum products.”
Akporeha dismissed reports that talks broke down earlier due to the alleged uncompromising attitude of Dangote’s representatives, clarifying that the misunderstanding stemmed from a personal issue.
“They didn’t walk out as people claimed,” he explained. “The refinery representative said he was hungry and had an ulcer, so he had to go and eat. There was nothing like a deliberate walkout.”
The NUPENG leader further revealed that one of the most divisive clauses in the negotiations was the creation of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA). According to him, the management of Dangote Refinery had no authority to impose or establish unions on behalf of workers.
“They brought in this DTCDA, which they don’t have the right to do. Going forward, management should not force any union on workers. The Ministry of Labour has already declared the DTCDA an illegal organization,” Akporeha stated.
The Minister of Labour, Dingyadi, hailed the resolution as a welcome development, noting that convening the meeting at the DSS headquarters created a neutral ground and enabled broader participation from government stakeholders.
With the agreement in place, fears of prolonged fuel scarcity have been eased as tanker drivers resume operations nationwide.
The breakthrough marks a significant moment in the standoff between NUPENG and Africa’s largest refinery, underscoring the influence of labour unions in shaping Nigeria’s energy sector.
