NUPENG Suspends Nationwide Strike After Landmark Unionization Deal with Dangote Refinery

In a significant development for Nigeria’s petroleum sector, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has officially suspended its nationwide strike following a breakthrough agreement with the Dangote Group. The accord was reached after intense negotiations brokered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, headed by Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.

The industrial action, which began on Monday and threatened to disrupt fuel supply chains across the country, was spurred by allegations from NUPENG that Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals had denied its employees the lawful right to unionize. The union described the company’s initial stance as “anti-worker and anti-union,” prompting the strike action which led to the temporary closure of multiple fuel stations nationwide.

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On Tuesday, after a conciliation meeting held in Abuja, representatives of NUPENG and Dangote Refinery signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which laid the foundation for ending the standoff. Key resolutions from the agreement include:

• The recognition that unionization is a legal right as enshrined in extant Nigerian labor laws, to which the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals has now formally consented.
• The immediate commencement of unionization processes for employees willing to join NUPENG, with a completion timeline fixed within two weeks, from September 9 to September 22, 2025.
• A commitment by Dangote management not to establish any rival or alternative unions to the existing recognized union.
• An explicit assurance that no worker or employee at Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals shall face victimization or retaliation arising from the strike or union activities.
• Agreement that after the conclusion of the unionization process, both parties will report back to the Honourable Minister of Labour for further follow-up.

Following these outcomes, NUPENG promptly called off the strike, directing its members nationwide to resume work immediately, thereby averting what could have escalated into a severe fuel shortage.

Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi remarked on the importance of the resolution, emphasizing the critical nature of the petroleum sector to Nigeria’s economy and the need for industrial peace. The intervention by the federal government and stakeholders like the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress proved fundamental in bridging the differences.

This development marks a positive step toward strengthening workers’ rights in Nigeria’s burgeoning oil and gas industry and underlines the potential for constructive dialogue between labor unions and corporate entities.