Build up to the Dangote Refinery workers’ sack 

The present sack gale that rocked the Dangote Refinery is the anti climax arising from the plan by the Dangote refinery to import 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas-powered trucks for the direct distribution of fuel to retailers. Though the scheme scheduled to commence on August 15 was delayed by logistics challenges in China, but eventually commenced a month later on September 15.
NUPENG, in a statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha and the General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, on September 6, 2025, accused the management of the Dangote refinery of alleged anti-labour practices inimical to the survival and means of livelihoods of its members under its Petroleum and Tanker Drivers Branch.
The union lamented that the founder of the refinery, Aliko Dangote, had said that new drivers would be recruited for the imported trucks and none of them would be allowed to join any union. NUPENG described the position taken by the management of Dangote refinery as an affront to the right of association, guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution, and a breach of relevant international labour laws to which Nigeria is a signatory.
It recalled several meetings it initiated, jointly with the leadership of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, to prevail on Aliko Dangote to rescind his stance on not allowing its drivers to join trade unions. However, the Union expressed regret that its appeals were allegedly ignored.
NUPENG said it would not stand idly by and watch while the livelihoods of thousands of workers, including tanker drivers, are destroyed. “NUPENG stood in solidarity with Dangote Refinery during its construction and commissioning. We did so in good faith, in expectation that it would create jobs, strengthen local capacity, and benefit the Nigerian people, under a conducive atmosphere for unions to thrive.

September 6, 2025
The Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), said there was no basis for the purported strike action being championed by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) slated to commence on September 8.

September 7, 2025
NLC, PETROAN beg for President Tinubu’s intervention to avert strike

September 8, 2025:
NUPENG shut down petrol loading at Dangote Refinery as strike began
DAPPMAN sues for dialogue

On September 9, 2025

Dangote and NUPENG signed a Memorandum of Understanding strengthening refinery workers’ constitutional right to unionise.

September 10, 2025
NUPENG accused the firm of acting in bad faith giving instructions to truck drivers to remove union stickers and report for loading, a move the union described as intimidation. Dangote Groups denounced the claims as “cheap blackmail.”

September 11, 2025
NUPENG threatened to resume strike, blocking loading in Dangote Refinery. The union accused Dangote Refinery of negating the resolutions reached at the earlier peace meeting brokered by the DSS.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery dismissed allegations made by the NUPENG, insisting that claims of anti-labour practices, monopolistic behaviour, and planned fuel price hikes are “entirely unfounded.”
According to Dangote Refinery, central to NUPENG’s allegations is the roll-out of over 4,000 CNG-powered bulk trucks, which the union claims could displace existing jobs. Dangote Group firmly refuted this, describing the initiative as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s energy transition strategy.
“The deployment of CNG-powered trucks is a strategic initiative designed to support national energy transition goals, not to displace existing jobs,” the company stated. Each truck will be operated by a six-person team, with drivers receiving salaries significantly above the national minimum wage, plus medical cover, pensions, housing allowances, and long-term access to housing loans. The company aims to have 10,000 such trucks in operation by year-end, potentially creating over 60,000 direct jobs.

September 25, 2025

Dangote Refinery sacks 800 workers
Prior to yesterday’s sacking of 800 workers by the Dangote Refinery, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), in solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), had earlier threatened to shut down Dangote Refinery over management’s refusal to allow tanker drivers and other employees to unionize.
PENGASSAN voiced its frustration with what it described as the refinery’s persistent resistance to unionization efforts, stressing that “all diplomatic efforts had failed to resolve the issue.”
The union further warned that if the standoff continued, it would have no option but to “join NUPENG in shutting down refinery operations to protect workers’ rights and interests.”

The Dangote Refinery, an oil refinery owned by Dangote Group, was inaugurated on 22 May 2023 in Lekki, Nigeria. When fully operational, it is expected to have the capacity to process about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest single-train refinery in the world. The investment is over S$20 billion