PETROL MARKETERS, NLC URGE FG TO INTERVENE AS NUPENG, DANGOTE REFINERY FACE-OFF DEEPENS
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Agency Report
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and relevant stakeholders to wade into the brewing dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has also thrown its weight behind NUPENG, accusing the Dangote Group of anti-labour practices and warning of wider consequences for Nigerian workers if left unchecked.
The row stems from the refinery’s plan to import 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution to retailers a move NUPENG said would sideline its Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch and undermine unionisation rights. The union insists drivers employed for the trucks were being compelled to renounce membership of oil and gas unions, describing it as a breach of the 1999 Constitution and international labour conventions.
NUPENG has threatened a nationwide strike from Monday, September 8, if the refinery does not reverse its stance.
PETROAN National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, warned of “looming danger” if the matter is not resolved quickly. “You don’t want to give anti-competitive values, even in the welfare of workers. We are calling on the President, security agencies, and regulators to bring all parties to the table before Monday,” he said.
IPMAN’s National President, Abubakar Maigandi, confirmed that oil marketers were engaging both sides to broker peace. In the South-West, however, IPMAN’s zonal chairman, Oyewole Akanni, declared readiness to shut down operations in solidarity with NUPENG, accusing Dangote and MRS Energy of threatening thousands of jobs and violating provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act.
Meanwhile, NLC President Joe Ajaero described the refinery’s stance as “crude and dangerous,” citing low wages, casualisation, and anti-union practices across the Dangote Group. He warned that the labour movement would mobilise if the company refused to comply with labour laws.
But in a twist, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association rejected the strike call, saying drivers should be free to choose the organisation that best protects their interests. Its president, Enoch Kanawa, stressed support for deregulation and pledged to align with the government’s economic reforms.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Dangote Refinery on Saturday were unsuccessful.
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