Nigeria is bracing for fuel scarcity as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) vowed to press ahead with its nationwide strike today, September 8, 2025, despite frantic last-minute interventions by the Federal Government. The industrial face-off stems from a dispute over the Dangote Refinery’s plan to import 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks, which the union alleges threatens jobs and violates workers’ rights.
NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed that although the union had been invited to a conciliation meeting in Abuja by the Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, its members will still down tools from Monday morning. “The Federal Government and NNPC are reaching out, but there is nothing concrete yet. The strike starts tomorrow as planned,” he told reporters.
At the heart of the row is NUPENG’s accusation that Dangote Petroleum Refinery is engaging in anti-labour practices. The union claims that drivers recruited for the imported CNG trucks have been compelled to sign undertakings barring them from joining NUPENG or any other oil and gas union. It described this as a direct violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Union Act, and ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on workers’ rights.
Tanker drivers, under NUPENG’s Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch, will stop lifting fuel from depots nationwide if the dispute persists. This decision, the union warned, will effectively paralyse fuel distribution, trigger fuel scarcity, and inflict widespread hardship. The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has already announced a three-day suspension of operations starting Tuesday, September 9, backing NUPENG’s stance.
The crisis escalated when MRS Oil, owned by Dangote’s cousin Sayyu Dantata, reportedly began recruiting drivers under a new entity, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA). NUPENG has disowned the group, alleging it was created to weaken union power. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) waded into the matter on Sunday, backing NUPENG and urging the government to stop Dangote Group’s “monopolistic and unconstitutional policies.”
On the other hand, the Economic Rights Activists (ERA) condemned the strike, warning it would primarily hurt ordinary Nigerians. ERA’s Executive Director, Josiah Inuwa, said the shutdown could “skyrocket transport fares, push food prices through the roof, collapse small businesses, and plunge millions deeper into poverty.” He accused vested interests of exploiting unions to sabotage Nigeria’s push for fuel self-sufficiency through the Dangote Refinery.
With NUPENG adamant, PETROAN ready to close filling stations, and the Nigeria Labour Congress pledging solidarity, the government faces a delicate balancing act. A prolonged shutdown of the petroleum sector could cost the economy billions of naira daily, worsen inflation, and heighten public anger already stoked by economic hardship.
