The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Tuesday suspended its two-day strike following a resolution reached at a meeting with representatives of the Federal Government, the Dangote Group, and other key stakeholders. The strike had caused fuel supply disruptions across several parts of the country.
NUPENG National President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed the suspension, noting that the breakthrough came after a follow-up meeting was convened by the Ministry of Labour on Tuesday, following a failed negotiation on Monday.
Key participants in the Tuesday meeting included Sayyu Dantata, representing the Dangote Group, officials from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and other stakeholders. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, in which the Dangote Refinery agreed to allow its workers to unionise.
According to the MoU:
“The management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals agreed to the unionisation of employees in line with existing labour laws. The unionisation process will begin immediately and must be completed between September 9 and 22, 2025. The company also agreed not to establish an alternative union, and no worker will face retaliation for participating in the strike.”
The parties are to report back to the Minister of Labour a week after the unionisation process concludes. Based on these terms, NUPENG agreed to suspend the industrial action with immediate effect.
The MoU was signed by Sayyu Dantata (Dangote Group), Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale (NUPENG), OK Ukoha (NMDPRA), Amos Falonipe (Labour Ministry), and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Earlier, the strike had entered its second day, with many fuel stations shut down in states such as Cross River and Kaduna, while others adjusted their prices in Sokoto and Enugu. Panic buying was reported in parts of Lagos and Ogun States.
The strike stemmed from allegations by NUPENG that the Dangote Refinery planned to prevent drivers of its incoming fleet of 4,000 CNG-powered trucks from joining the union. Although the trucks were initially scheduled for deployment on August 15, delays in shipping them to Nigeria pushed back the launch.
The Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch of NUPENG accused the refinery of anti-labour practices and claimed that Dangote’s direct fuel distribution model could threaten their livelihoods.
