FG, Labour Unions In Closed-Door Meeting Over NUPENG, Dangote Group Disagreement
The Federal Government has commenced a closed-door meeting with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group as part of efforts to resolve the industrial dispute between the two parties.
The meeting is being led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, as well as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
Present at the meeting are the national executives of NUPENG and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Present at the meeting are the national executives of NUPENG and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Also present is the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ogbugo Ukoha, as well as representatives of the Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum.
Also in attendance are officials of the NMDPRA, and the Dangote Group, among others.
NUPENG had last Friday announced that its members would cease work from September 8 in protest against alleged moves by the Dangote Refinery to prevent its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining labour unions.
Although both the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) distanced themselves from the planned action, NUPENG reaffirmed on Sunday that it would proceed with the industrial action.
Worried by the impact of the planned strike, the Federal Government on Sunday urged the union to reconsider its decision.
Dingyadi, in a statement signed by the ministry’s head of information, Patience Onuobia, appealed to NUPENG to suspend the strike and give room for dialogue.
The Minister of Labour and Employment also called on the NLC to withdraw the red alert it issued to affiliate unions, which directed them to prepare for solidarity action against what they described as “anti-worker and anti-union practices” by the Dangote Group.
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The minister said, “I have invited all the parties for a conciliation meeting tomorrow, Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have intervened, I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow.
“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the economy. A strike, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact, leading to heavy revenue losses running into billions of naira and causing untold hardship for Nigerians.”
He assured Nigerians that the matter would be resolved amicably, stressing that stability in the petroleum sector was crucial to national economic well-being.
