Nigeria: NUPENG Puts Members on Red Alert, Accuses Dangote of Breaching Agreement

 

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has issued a "red alert" to its members nationwide, accusing the Dangote Group of reneging on a recent agreement. The union's action raises the specter of a renewed nationwide industrial action that could disrupt fuel distribution across the country.

The dispute stems from allegations by NUPENG that the Dangote Group has violated the terms of a pact brokered just days ago. The agreement, which was reached after a nationwide strike threat, was meant to address the unionization of workers at the newly commissioned Dangote Refinery. The union alleges that the Dangote Group, through one of its officials, has instructed truck drivers to remove union stickers from their vehicles and enter the refinery to load products, in a move that NUPENG says violates established union protocols.

NUPENG's leadership, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, expressed their dismay at the alleged breach of trust. The union is now calling on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other allied unions to stand in solidarity, signaling a potentially broader confrontation.

The initial agreement, which was brokered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and the Department of State Services (DSS), was hailed as a major victory for workers' rights. It stipulated that the unionization process at the Dangote Refinery would commence immediately, with guarantees that no worker would be victimized for joining a union. NUPENG's latest move suggests that this fragile peace has been shattered, and the union is now preparing to resume the strike action it suspended.

The Dangote Group has previously denied NUPENG's allegations, describing them as "cheap blackmail." As tensions escalate, all eyes are on the government to see if it will intervene once again to avert a potentially crippling nationwide strike.