BREAKING: FG RESCHEDULES MEETING AMID DANGOTE–NUPENG FACE-OFF

BY OWOLABI OLUWADARA

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, has postponed the tripartite assembly convened to address the contention between the management of Dangote Group and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) regarding purported anti-union practices.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 3 PM, was advanced to 10 AM in what sources from Vanguard indicated was a determined effort to preclude the impending nationwide industrial action by oil workers.

Although the rationale for the adjustment in timing was not immediately made public, insiders expressed that the goal was to prevent the strike from inflicting substantial harm on the vulnerable economy.

However, by 10 AM, NUPENG leaders and other relevant parties were still in Lagos, attempting to board a flight to Abuja. An official from the Ministry informed Vanguard that the meeting could not commence until their arrival.

On Friday, NUPENG accused Aliko Dangote and his affiliates of engaging in “crude and perilous anti-union practices, a monopolistic agenda, and inappropriate industrial relations strategies. ” The union asserted that Dangote Refinery offers some of the lowest wages within the oil and gas industry and treats employees “below acceptable standards. ”

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NUPENG also criticized the firm’s recruitment policies, which prohibit drivers from joining oil and gas unions, labeling them as a breach of Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, the Labour Act, and ILO Conventions 98 and 87.

“This signifies a perilous trajectory towards fascism in industrial relations, where workers are treated as slaves devoid of voice or dignity,” the union cautioned.

A correspondence from the Ministry of Labour, dated September 6, 2025, and signed by the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Falonipe Amo, on behalf of the minister, extended an invitation to stakeholders for the tripartite conciliatory meeting.

Meanwhile, NUPENG leaders have instructed all members across the nation to initiate an indefinite strike until their grievances with the Dangote Group are resolved.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its full support for NUPENG amid the confrontation with Dangote Group, urging workers nationwide to prepare for solidarity actions.

In a proclamation authored by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC called on the Federal Government to rein in Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata, asserting that their operations must align with both national and international labour regulations.

The NLC’s announcement articulated: “We have received and duly reviewed the petition and concerns raised by our affiliate union, NUPENG, regarding the anti-union practices, monopolistic agenda, and improper industrial relations strategies being pursued by Aliko Dangote and his associates.

“It is important to note that this is not the first grievance we have encountered against Dangote Group. We have received numerous complaints from other unions representing the companies owned by the group, all pertaining to similar acts of impunity and unjust labour practices.

“We assert unequivocally that the disclosures encompassed in NUPENG’s statement do not merely constitute an attack on petroleum workers, but rather an outright declaration of war against the Nigerian working class, trade unionism, and the principle of Decent Work. ”
It reveals what has long been the dubious signature of the Dangote Group: a persistent history of union suppression, exploitative labor practices, and monopolistic domination of markets, adversely affecting both employees and the Nigerian populace. We have credible information indicating that Dangote Refinery currently offers some of the lowest wages in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and treats its personnel below acceptable standards.

The business model of the Dangote Group distinctly enslaves and does not contribute to developmental progress in any meaningful way. The Nigerian populace was assured that the Dangote Refinery and its related operations would generate employment, enhance industrialization, and foster national self-sufficiency.

Conversely, what we are observing is the archetypal narrative of primitive capitalism, as the group resorts to monopolistic control. It utilizes government support to eliminate competition and dominate entire sectors (cement, sugar, flour, and now petroleum products). The group already boasts of its entrenchment in the power structure and its readiness to continue leveraging it against labor unions.

In line with its union suppression tactics, the Dangote Group has systematically deprived workers of their constitutional right to freedom of association by obstructing their ability to join trade unions of their choosing and compelling them into ‘company unions’ designed to undermine collective strength. We have had occasions in African trade union circles to defend Dangote against grievances from workers in other African countries out of a sense of patriotism, but we have now reached a juncture where corrective measures are imperative.

The group thrives on precarious employment. Dangote companies flourish through casualization, inadequate wages, and hazardous working conditions, all in direct violation of the ILO’s Decent Work agenda, of which Nigeria is a signatory, and contradicting the commitments Dangote professes on paper. The group operates under the belief that Nigerian workers are powerless, as there is seemingly little the government can do to address its numerous infractions.

Dangote favors employing foreign nationals to the detriment of Nigerian workers. We recall the instance of Asian welders and fitters recruited from India and elsewhere while qualified Nigerian welders and fitters suffered in the unemployment line.

Regrettably, these thousands of workers were not treated equitably, and some sought assistance from us for remediation. This is hardly the embodiment of patriotism from a group that has received various waivers and concessions from the national coffers.

Rather than lowering costs for Nigerians, the Dangote monopoly exploits scarcity and controls distribution to inflate prices, thereby exacerbating poverty and hardship. This is not industrialization; it constitutes economic sabotage. It is not nation-building; it is class theft, wherein the working masses subsidize the extravagant wealth of affluent families through exploitation and collusion with government allies.
By attempting to enlist drivers under the stipulation that they must not be affiliated with NUPENG or any labor union within the oil and gas sector, Dangote and his colleagues are unequivocally contravening Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, the Labour Act, and ILO Conventions 98 and 87 pertaining to Freedom of Association and the Right to Organize and Engage in Collective Bargaining (ratified by Nigeria in 1960).

“If this situation is permitted to persist, it will establish a perilous precedent whereby influential capital can brazenly disregard the laws of Nigeria, subjugate laborers, and undermine the very essence of collective bargaining. This represents a treacherous path toward authoritarianism in industrial relations, where workers are regarded as subordinates devoid of voice or dignity.

“The NLC, in complete solidarity with NUPENG, asserts that we will not remain passive while a singular conglomerate seeks to subjugate the Nigerian workforce and infringe upon the hard-earned rights of unions. The prevalence of workers’ rights violations is increasing alarmingly, and we are prepared to take measures to contain it if the government fails to impose sanctions on the group and compel it to act more responsibly.

“We hereby categorically denounce the anti-union, anti-worker, and monopolistic practices of the Dangote Group and its subsidiaries. We urge the Federal Government to promptly summon Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata to adhere to regulations. Their operations must conform to all Nigerian labor laws and international agreements.

“We demand that the Dangote Group cease all anti-union, anti-worker activities. We call for the immediate unionization of not only the Dangote Refinery but all other entities within the group.

“We place the entire Nigerian workforce, state councils, and industrial unions on high alert and mobilize for a cohesive resistance against the Dangote Group’s anti-worker agenda, while supporting the proposed industrial action by NUPENG.

“We insist that the Federal Government and its regulatory bodies, especially the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Authority, recognize that history will hold them responsible if they continue to turn a blind eye while a select few privatize the nation’s energy future and imprison its labor force.

“We urge the Nigerian populace to see through the facade: this is not altruism, it is exploitation; it is not progress, it is dispossession and enslavement.

“The assault on NUPENG is an affront to us all. The NLC, without reservation, declares that Nigerian workers are not slaves and cannot be continually mistreated without repercussions. Our Constitution and international agreements secure our right to organize, collectively bargain, and uphold our dignity at work. The NLC will resist any efforts by the Dangote Group to dismantle these rights.

“We caution that if Dangote persists on this reckless anti-union trajectory, the NLC and its affiliates will transition from words to actions. We will confront this tyranny directly until victory is achieved for Nigerian workers and the Nigerian populace. ”
“It must be distinctly acknowledged that if the Dangote Group does not promptly cease its anti-labor and anti-people agenda, we will not waver in rallying all workers throughout this nation for the actions and solidarity required to uphold our dignity and to safeguard Nigeria from the grasp of monopolistic capital.

“Our unity is non-negotiable. We will resist because we have no choice. The labor class must not be forfeited at the altar of corporate avarice. “