The Federal Government has warned the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Dangote Group management that the oil industry is too critical to Nigeria’s economy to be affected by industrial unrest or corporate policies that could threaten national stability.
Labour and Employment Minister Muhammad Dingyadi and Minister of State for Labour Nkeiruka Onyejeocha led a government team to a truce meeting in Abuja aimed at resolving the dispute. As of 11.30 pm, the meeting was still ongoing, with no agreement yet reached.
The impasse arose over NUPENG’s insistence that all workers at Dangote Refinery must unionise, while Dangote officials argued that union membership should remain optional. This disagreement stalled the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise the truce.
Senior officials from the Ministry, including Ogbugo Ukoha of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), attended the meeting alongside representatives from NUPENG, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Dangote Group, and MRS Petroleum. The dispute follows NUPENG’s directive for members to halt nationwide petroleum distribution, citing alleged anti-labour practices and low wages at the refinery.