Dangote refinery: No petrol scarcity despite tanker drivers’ strike

The Dangote Refinery has assured Nigerians that there will be no fuel shortage despite an ongoing strike by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which represents fuel tanker drivers.

Checks by The Trust News  showed that across the Lagos metropolis, petrol stations opened for business, even as fuel attendants beckoned on motorists to come in for patronage.

The situation may have negated the effect of the industrial action which began yesterday, notwithstanding that it has attracted solidarity from both local and international labour organisations. The action stems from allegations that the Dangote refinery conditions its newly recruited drivers against union membership.

Dangote Group spokesperson Anthony Chiejina, in a statement today, dismissed the claims as “cheap blackmail” and stressed that fuel distribution remained unaffected. “There is no fuel shortage, everything is going on,” he told said, noting that discussions were ongoing between the company, government officials, and the union.

NUPENG president Williams Akporeha, however, insisted that Dangote’s employment practices undermined workers’ rights. “What Dangote has shown over time is that he’s not prepared to have workers that will have a say in his employment,” he told Arise News.

The refinery, which began operations last year with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, has significantly altered Nigeria’s petroleum landscape. Once heavily reliant on fuel imports due to years of neglect of state-owned refineries, the country now benefits from lower petrol prices and increased domestic supply.

However, Dangote’s growing dominance in the sector has raised concerns over monopoly and market control. Last month, the company unveiled plans to deploy thousands of compressed natural gas-powered trucks for nationwide fuel distribution, a move that unsettled the long-established network of more than 20,000 diesel-powered tankers.

The strike has received support from the Nigeria Labour Congress, as well as international allies, including global union federation IndustriALL in Switzerland and the International Lawyers Assisting Workers network in Washington.

Despite the dispute, the Dangote Refinery reiterated that operations are stable and fuel availability is not under threat.