Nationwide Fuel Scarcity Averted as NUPENG Suspends Strike     

• Dangote Refinery Now Agrees to Recognise Union Rights

By Bonny Amadi

Impending nationwide fuel scarcity across Nigeria may have been averted following the suspension of ongoing strike by workers in the petroleum and natural gas sector of the nation’s economy.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Tuesday evening announced the suspension of its strike after reaching an agreement with the management of Dangote Refinery to recognise workers’ union rights.

This was even as nationwide distribution of petroleum products has already been paralysed by the NUPENG strike against the Dangote Refinery, which entered its second day on Tuesday, forcing depots across the country to remain shut.

The resolution was reached during a closed-door meeting convened by the Department of State Services (DSS), attended by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Acting NLC General Secretary, Benson Upah, confirmed the outcome, while the Ministry of Labour said it would issue a formal statement soon.

The breakthrough was a sequel to a conciliation meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on Monday, September 8, 2025, after NUPENG embarked on a strike over Dangote Refinery’s refusal to recognise the union rights of its workers.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the meeting, both sides agreed that unionisation is a right under extant labour laws, and employees of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals who wish to join labour unions would be allowed to do so.

“After exhaustive deliberations, the following resolutions were reached by both parties: That since workers’ unionisation is a right in line with the provisions of the extant laws, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals agreed to the unionisation of employees of Dangote Refinery and the unionisation of employees of Petrochemicals, who are willing to unionise,” the MoU read, according to Channels Television.

“That the process of unionisation shall commence immediately and be completed within two weeks (9th – 22nd September, 2025), and it was agreed that the employer will not set up any other union.

“Arising from the strike notice, no worker or employee of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical will be victimised,” the MoU added.

The agreement also stipulated that parties must report back to the Minister of Labour a week after the unionisation process is concluded.