The Federal Government on Monday commenced an emergency closed-door meeting with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group in a bid to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute threatening to disrupt the nation’s petroleum supply chain.
The meeting, held in Abuja, was convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, alongside the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
Senior officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and executives of NUPENG were in attendance, as well as representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), including Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha. The Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum were also represented.
NUPENG had announced plans to commence an indefinite strike from September 8, protesting alleged anti-labour practices linked to Dangote Refinery’s policy restricting compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from unionising.
Despite distancing statements from the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), NUPENG reaffirmed its intention to proceed with the strike, raising concerns of imminent nationwide fuel scarcity.
Minister Dingyadi, in a statement on Sunday, urged NUPENG to suspend the strike, warning that any disruption in the petroleum sector would result in revenue losses running into billions of naira and inflict severe hardship on Nigerians.
“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. A strike, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact on the economy and citizens. I appeal to the union to allow dialogue to resolve the matter,” he said.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, backed NUPENG’s position, arguing that the Dangote policy contravenes constitutional provisions, the Trade Union Act, and international labour conventions protecting freedom of association.
He insisted that workers have the right to join unions without obstruction.
However, the Minister of State for Health, Isaq Salako, cautioned that a nationwide strike would cripple hospitals that rely heavily on diesel and petrol generators.
He appealed to both parties to exercise restraint in the interest of public welfare.
The government expressed optimism that ongoing conciliation efforts will produce a resolution and prevent further instability in the petroleum sector, stressing that uninterrupted fuel supply is critical to national economic stability.
