The Federal Government has directed the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to fully implement the September 9 agreement guaranteeing workers’ right to join a union of their choice.
The directive followed the Department of State Services’ (DSS) second intervention in four days over the escalating standoff between the refinery and the oil workers’ union.
This newspaper gathered that the order was issued at a meeting on Thursday at the DSS headquarters in Abuja. The session was attended by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA); representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); NUPENG leaders; and the Dangote management team led by Group Managing Director, Sayyu Dantata.
According to sources, government officials expressed displeasure over reports that company agents allegedly removed NUPENG stickers from trucks, while granting access only to vehicles linked with the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), said to be sponsored by the refinery. The government reportedly warned that such actions were fuelling renewed hostilities and urged both parties to stick strictly to the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The September 9 MoU, signed by Dangote management, NUPENG, NLC, TUC, NMDPRA, and the Labour Ministry, affirmed that unionisation is a fundamental right of refinery workers. It directed that the process of enrolling employees into the union be completed between September 9 and 22, 2025.
The pact also forbids employer-sponsored or alternative unions, protects workers from victimisation for joining the strike or supporting unionisation, and mandates both parties to report back to the Labour Minister a week after the exercise.
Sources disclosed that both the DSS and the Labour Ministry insisted that further breaches would not be tolerated and demanded immediate compliance with the accord to restore industrial harmony.
On September 11, NUPENG accused Dangote management of violating the MoU, an allegation the company denied. As of press time, neither the refinery nor NUPENG had issued an official statement on the latest directive.
