The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) , have announced the suspension of NUPENG’s nationwide strike after settling its dispute with the Dangote Group. An agreement was reached after extensive negotiations held in Abuja that included the Minister of Labour, the Department of State Security, and the respective labour leaders.
The 2 day strike saw fuel depots across Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Delta Shutdown. These shutdowns instilled fear in the general public about a nationwide fuel shortage and the immediate impact on key transportation prices throughout the country, which increased in some cities.
The key issue was with Dangote demand for it’s CNG drivers to not unionize with any union. Although, Dangote disputed this they did agree to respect workers’ rights of association.
On Tuesday the parties executed a memorandum of understanding. The memorandum allowed the drivers to unionize with a timeline for joining between September 9th and September 22, 2025. Dangote also promised that no worker would be victimized because of their union membership.
The President of NUPENG Williams Akporeha confirmed the suspension of the strike. He clarified that this was a temporary suspension to respect not only the labour laws of Nigeria, it also showed respect for international labour standards.
Meanwhile, Sayyu Dantata, Managing Director of the Dangote Group, stated that the refinery and company would operate within the parameters of labour rights. He stated that the agreement would help to maintain stability in the oil and gas industry.
With the strike suspended, it was anticipated that fuel loading activities would commence without delays. It was also expected that the MOU would ease the tensions from the two parties and bring some normalcy back to the supply chain.
Many industry stakeholders urged both parties to continue closely monitoring their actions to ensure that they are in line with normal labour relations. They stated that the dispute resolution established a precedent for labor relations at the Dangote refinery.
For the time being, Nigerians can breathe a sigh of relief that no new major fuel crisis is on the horizon.
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