…as NUPENG confirms that all petroleum lifting operations would be suspended nationwide.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has declared that its planned nationwide strike will commence on Monday, September 8, with fuel depots and product distribution expected to be heavily impacted.
The strike, spearheaded by NUPENG’s Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch, is in protest against what the union described as anti-union practices by Dangote Refinery, particularly its alleged refusal to allow Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck drivers to join any recognised trade union.
In a statement jointly signed by NUPENG President Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union confirmed that all petroleum lifting operations would be suspended nationwide, insisting that workers must not be denied their constitutional right to freedom of association.
“Slavery ended centuries ago, but some unscrupulous capitalists are making efforts to bring it back,” the union stated.
“Any worker who cannot exercise the right of association is no better than a slave.”
NUPENG also strongly refuted claims made by Barrister Enoch Kanawa, President of the newly formed Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), who had argued that NUPENG could not speak on behalf of tanker drivers.
The union dismissed DTCDA as a “management-inspired shell” created by Dangote Refinery to undermine organised labour.
“We ask our members, members of the public, and independent media to disregard DTCDA and its statements. Barrister Enoch Kanawa is a lawyer, not a tanker driver,” the statement read.
According to the union, DTCDA was allegedly conceived and funded by Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the key figures behind the Dangote Refinery and its affiliated logistics chain.
NUPENG claims the aim was to supervise the estimated 10,000 CNG trucks currently being imported and deployed, while denying the drivers union protection.
The statement also detailed Kanawa’s professional background, highlighting his previous roles as Executive Secretary of NARTO and Legal Adviser to MRS Energy Ltd, to emphasize that he is an industry insider, not a representative of drivers on the ground.
“This is an elite hijack of workers’ representation. Ordinary Nigerians should neither encourage nor support slavish working conditions,” the union warned.
NUPENG reiterated that there is no division within its ranks, and urged the public to prepare for disruptions in fuel distribution if no resolution is reached.
The Monday strike, it noted, represents a critical showdown between organised labour and a corporate giant, with wider implications for workers’ rights, trade union recognition, and the integrity of Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.
As Monday approaches, fears of fuel scarcity are already beginning to spread across major cities, while observers brace for the fallout from what could become a landmark confrontation between labour and capital in Nigeria’s energy industry.
