The meeting between Dangote Refinery and oil workers under the umbrella of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Worker(NUPENG) yesterday ended in a total deadlock .
The unions demanded that Dangote Refinery employees join unions, but Dangote vehemently disagreed. As of the time this report was filled, the meeting that was called to end their stalemate had not produced the expected outcome.
The Dangote Group, NUPENG leadership under Williams Akporeha, and Minister of Labour and Employment Muhammad Dingyadi have not yet released any formal information regarding the meeting’s outcome.
Dangote Refinery’s decision to prevent its employees from joining appropriate labour unions has angered the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Meanwhile, NUPENG, in a bid to enforce its strike on Monday, shut down major depots and some filling stations in Lagos and Warri in protest against the Dangote Group.
NUPENG and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Western Zone, announced the strike in opposition to Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company’s and MRS Energy Ltd.’s plans to start selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) directly.
Last night at the time of writing, NUPENG, the Federal Government, and other interested parties were meeting in Abuja. Originally set for 10 am, the meeting didn’t start until almost 5 pm. The Minister of State (Petroleum), Heniken Lokpobiri, had stated before the executive session began that he was hopeful the talks would be fruitful and that the outcomes will be communicated to the media later.
However, sources privy to the development revealed that no agreement had been reached.
Recall that NUPENG had last week announced plans to begin an industrial action from September 8, 2025, over the Dangote Refinery’s move to import 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct distribution of fuel to retailers.
The union’s president, Williams Akporeha, stated that the strike will continue despite the Federal Government’s intervention to stop it, awaiting the outcome of Monday’s meeting with government representatives.
Speaking to delegates in his Abuja office before the media was asked to adjourn, Muhammad Dingyadi, the Minister of Labour and Employment, urged moderation and communication, emphasising that the oil industry was too vital to the country’s economy to be undermined by labour unrest.
Similarly, PENGASSAN cautioned that if the current state of affairs continues without a solution, it will be forced to assist in closing the refinery as a last resort in order to safeguard the rights and interests of our members.
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