NUPENG accuses Dangote Group of breaching union agreements and threatens strike action.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has accused the Dangote Group of reneging on an agreement with the Federal Government over workers’ unionisation rights, warning that it may resume its recently suspended nationwide strike.
In a statement on Thursday, signed by its National President, Comrade Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, the union alleged that Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata, a top executive in the conglomerate, had instructed petroleum truck drivers belonging to its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch to remove union stickers from their vehicles.
NUPENG said the move contravened a resolution signed on September 9, 2025, at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja. That meeting, attended by three federal ministers and a Deputy Director General of the DSS, had reaffirmed workers’ rights to freely associate and belong to unions.
The union further alleged that on September 11, Mr. Dantata directed truck drivers to forcefully enter the Dangote Refinery for loading operations without complying with union regulations. Union officials reportedly resisted the move, insisting the trucks had violated established loading rules.
According to NUPENG, Dantata later escalated the standoff.
“He flew over them several times with his helicopter and later called in the Navy to crush the union officials,” the statement claimed, describing the action as “an abuse of state institutions for private interests.”
The union warned that security agencies must not be weaponised against workers.
“We call on the Federal Government not to allow security agents paid with public resources to be used with impunity against the people of this country,” NUPENG said.
It urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), civil society groups, and international labour organisations to stand in solidarity, stressing that “wealth cannot place anyone above the law.”
While assuring Nigerians of its commitment to remain “patriotic, responsible, and responsive,” the union insisted it would not tolerate disregard for workers’ rights or agreements brokered by government institutions.
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