A meeting between Dangote Refinery and oil workers’ unions, PENGASSAN and NUPENG, ended without any agreement. The workers want Dangote staff to be allowed to join unions, but Dangote strongly disagrees.
The meeting was meant to solve the conflict between both sides, but no progress was made as of the time this report was written.
The unions are angry that Dangote Refinery is stopping its workers from joining their unions.
To show their displeasure, some fuel depots in Lagos and Port Harcourt were shut down by union members. In Apapa, Lagos, which has many fuel storage depots, NUPENG blocked fuel loading at major facilities including Aiteo, NIPCO, Conoil, and others.
The same thing happened in Port Harcourt, where NUPENG also stopped fuel loading at Bulk Strategic and Shoreline depots. In Ibadan, many petrol stations were closed too.
NUPENG and IPMAN (Western Zone) called the strike to protest Dangote Refinery and MRS Energy Ltd’s plan to distribute fuel directly to retailers, cutting out existing marketers.
Last night, the Federal Government held a meeting with NUPENG and other stakeholders in Abuja. Although it was meant to start at 10 a.m., it only began around 5 p.m. The Petroleum Minister said he hoped for a positive outcome, and that the press would be informed afterward.
NUPENG had already warned that they would go on strike starting September 8, 2025, over Dangote Refinery’s plan to bring in 4,000 fuel trucks to distribute fuel directly.
Even though the government tried to stop the strike, NUPENG President Williams Akporeha said it would go on unless the meeting with the government produced results.
At the start of the Abuja meeting, the Labour Minister, Muhammad Dingyadi, urged everyone to be calm and talk things through, saying the oil sector is too important to be disrupted.
He welcomed all parties to the meeting and thanked them for coming. He explained that the goal was to peacefully settle the issue between Dangote Group and the unions.
The Minister said the matter was very serious for Nigeria’s peace and economy, and urged everyone to handle it carefully.
He asked both sides to listen to each other and be open-minded, promising that the government would do its best to find a solution.
Despite this, PENGASSAN, through its General Secretary Lumumba Okungbowa, said it fully supports NUPENG and will continue to fight for the rights of Dangote Refinery workers.
PENGASSAN accused Dangote of blocking workers from joining unions since the beginning. They said all efforts to convince the company had failed, and warned that workers’ rights must now be respected.
They said workers at Dangote Refinery have the right to join unions, as guaranteed by Nigerian law and international labor standards.
PENGASSAN warned that if the issue is not resolved, it may also join the strike and help shut down the refinery to protect workers’ rights.
They urged all parties to sit down and solve the issue quickly, warning that refusing to allow workers to unionize will affect the entire oil industry.
PENGASSAN promised to keep supporting NUPENG and fight for fair treatment for all Dangote Refinery workers.
Meanwhile, DAPPMAN, a group of petroleum marketers, called for calm and dialogue among all parties in the oil and gas sector.
DAPPMAN’s secretary, Olufemi Adewole, said they were worried that the tension might lead to a nationwide disruption in fuel supply.
He said strikes could harm everyday Nigerians, businesses, and government finances. He urged everyone to settle their differences through peaceful discussions.
DAPPMAN asked the Federal Government to step in quickly to help all sides find a solution.
Other groups, including PETROAN, NOGASA, and NARTO, have also said they support NUPENG in this matter.
At a press briefing, NOGASA President Benneth Korie warned that his members would stop working if the problem isn’t solved soon.
He said his members had invested a lot in fuel distribution, and Dangote’s plan to bypass them would harm their businesses and the country’s energy security.
Korie asked President Tinubu to step in, warning that suppliers may stop delivering fuel to important services like hotels and telecoms if no solution is found.
PETROAN President Billy Gillis-Harry agreed, saying if Dangote’s plan goes ahead, it will destroy many businesses and jobs in the retail fuel market.
He said Dangote Refinery is important, but it should work with others in the sector, not against them.
Gillis-Harry said PETROAN members would close their fuel stations if the strike continues and their workers are affected.
He called on regulators to urgently hold a meeting with Dangote Refinery to prevent a major crisis.
NARTO President Yusuf Othman said his members, who operate over 30,000 trucks, would resist any move to remove them from fuel distribution.
Othman listed five dangers of Dangote’s plan: loss of investments, job losses, threats to national and energy security, and higher prices for consumers due to monopoly.
He warned that changing the current distribution system would hurt many people and give too much power to one company.
Quoting Nigerian law, he reminded the government that it must protect fair competition and prevent monopolies.
He called on the President, security agencies, and Dangote Group to start talks immediately to avoid damaging the economy.
In Ibadan, some filling stations were closed while others stayed open. NNPC stations continued selling fuel.
A driver, Mr. Alani Adegoke, said if the strike lasts long, it could affect ordinary Nigerians badly and called on the government to fix the issue fast.
Another commuter, Mr. Gbenga Oworu, said he hopes the discussions bring a quick solution because many people depend on daily income to survive.
A businesswoman, Mrs. Olubunmi Bamigbade, said the crisis should be solved before schools reopen or it could become a bigger problem.
