The Department of State Services (DSS) has waded into the escalating face-off between Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), summoning both parties to an emergency meeting scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.
The meeting, which will also have in attendance representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other key stakeholders, is aimed at dousing rising tension following allegations of a breach of a labour agreement signed earlier this week.
On September 9, 2025, the management of Dangote Refinery and NUPENG signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the DSS Headquarters in Abuja. The agreement, witnessed by officials of the NLC, TUC, government ministers, and other stakeholders, guaranteed workers the right to freely join any trade union of their choice without interference.
However, less than 24 hours later, NUPENG accused the company of reneging on the deal — a charge the refinery management has consistently denied.
In a statement issued on Thursday and jointly signed by NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union accused Dangote Refinery of “being economical with the truth” in a press release dated September 11, 2025.
The union alleged that the company not only misrepresented the facts about its relationship with workers but also attempted to create a rival association, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), as part of a wider strategy to weaken NUPENG and its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch.
“The press statement by Dangote Petroleum Refinery dated 11th September 2025 further confirms the company’s aim to crush our union, NUPENG, as well as stifle competition, with the ultimate goal of increasing fuel prices in the long run,” the statement read in part.
NUPENG further alleged that the refinery directed the removal of NUPENG stickers from trucks and ordered their replacement with DTCDA stickers. The union claimed its members had resisted the directive, accusing the company of sponsoring a group of disgruntled former members facing criminal charges to act as spokespersons for the newly created association.
“These individuals have repeatedly lost elections within the PTD Branch since 2023 and now parade themselves as leaders of the DTCDA,” NUPENG said. “Some of them are standing trial for violent crimes, including attempted assassination of elected union leaders. During one such attack, our General Secretary was beaten into a coma.”
The union also warned Nigerians not to be deceived by the refinery’s offer of free nationwide fuel delivery, which it described as a ploy to dominate the petroleum trucking industry and sideline other employers.
“It is important to note that, beyond tanker drivers, the refinery’s operational and administrative staff have been denied the right to unionise. This pattern is consistent with the Dangote Group’s practices in its cement and sugar plants, where unionisation is not permitted,” the statement added.
As of press time, the Dangote Group had not responded to the latest allegations. In an earlier release, however, the company maintained that joining a trade union at its refinery remains voluntary, in line with Nigerian law and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
The outcome of Friday’s emergency meeting at the DSS headquarters is expected to determine the next steps in the ongoing industrial dispute, which has already triggered a nationwide strike by petroleum tanker drivers under NUPENG.
