The Department of State Services, DSS, has summoned the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, to an emergency meeting following rising tension over an alleged breach of an agreement on workers’ right to belong to the union of their choice.
It was gathered that the meeting, scheduled for 3 p.m, yesterday, will also be attended by representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and other key stakeholders.
Recall that the management of Dangote and NUPENG signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), at the DSS Headquarters, Abuja, granting workers the freedom to join any union of their choice without interference.
The signing was witnessed by officials of the NLC, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, government ministers, and other stakeholders.
However, less than 24 hours after the signing, NUPENG accused Dangote’s management of violating the pact; an allegation the company denied. Earlier today, the union again accused the Dangote Group of being “economical with the truth.”
In a statement jointly signed by NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union said Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s press release of September 11, 2025, misrepresented facts about its relationship with workers and their freedom to join NUPENG.
The statement reads in part: “The press statement by Dangote Petroleum Refinery dated 11th September 2025 further confirms the company’s aim to crush our union, NUPENG, as well as stifle competition, with the ultimate goal of increasing fuel prices in the long run.
“The attempt to create an illusion of division within our union is not only malicious but entirely fabricated. If a ‘faction of tanker drivers’ truly existed, Dangote should have persuaded them to call off the nationwide strike of Petroleum Tanker Drivers directed by NUPENG, which was effective, peaceful, and 100 percent successful.
