BREAKING: FG Summons Emergency Meeting Over NUPENG-Dangote Dispute

FG has summoned emergency meeting over NUPENG-Dangote dispute.

 

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has summoned an emergency conciliation meeting in a last-ditch effort to avert a nationwide strike threatened by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) over its dispute with the Dangote Group.

The union had vowed to commence an indefinite strike on Monday, September 8, 2025, accusing the management of Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices and enforcing a policy barring its drivers from joining trade unions.

In a statement on Sunday, Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, appealed to NUPENG to shelve the planned action, warning that any disruption in the petroleum sector would cause massive economic losses and widespread hardship for Nigerians.

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“I have invited all parties for a conciliation meeting tomorrow, Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have intervened, I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow. I also appeal to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw the red alert issued to its affiliate unions to prepare for a nationwide strike in solidarity with NUPENG,” Dingyadi said in a statement signed by Patience Onuobia, Head of Information and Public Relations at the ministry.

The minister stressed that the petroleum sector remains the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, cautioning that even a one-day strike could cost the country billions of naira in revenue while unleashing untold hardship on citizens.

NUPENG, however, insists that the Dangote policy amounts to an affront on the constitutional right of association and a violation of international labour conventions signed by Nigeria. The union cited the refinery’s 10,000 imported compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks, alleging that drivers employed to operate them were denied the right to unionise.

Describing the refinery’s stance as “inimical to the survival and livelihoods of its members,” NUPENG warned that it would not tolerate anti-labour practices in the petroleum sector.

Meanwhile, the NLC has placed its affiliates on standby for solidarity action, intensifying fears of a nationwide shutdown should talks collapse.

Dingyadi assured Nigerians that the government is committed to resolving the crisis “amicably and to the satisfaction of all parties involved” to ensure uninterrupted operations in the critical petroleum sector.