Olushola Omogbehin
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has ended its two-day nationwide strike sequel to an agreement meeting with Dangote Refinery on Tuesday.
This decision was announced by NUPENG President Williams Akporeha after a meeting called by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.
In the meeting, the refinery management led by Sayyu Dantata, committed to allowing its tanker drivers to unionize.
Confirming this in a telephone conversation with Punch, Akporeha said “We have suspended the strike. The Dangote refinery has agreed to unionize its drivers. We signed an agreement.”
The resolution which marks the end of a dispute where petroleum tanker drivers shunned fuel loading across Nigeria on Monday, September 8, 2025, thereby paralyzing operations at major depots in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Delta State.
In some parts of the country, NUPENG members closed some filling stations such as the Aradel refinery in Obele, Port Harcourt and the Kwale Hydrocarbon facility in Delta State.
The strike was triggered by NUPENG’s allegations that Dangote Refinery intended to bar its 4,000 newly recruited truck drivers from joining the union, which is a violation of workers’ rights under Nigerian labour laws and International Labour Organisation conventions.
NUPENG action followed a breakdown in negotiations on Monday night, when a federal government-mediated meeting ended in a stalemate after Dangote’s representatives reportedly walked out, resulting to solidarity threats from PENGASSAN, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), NOGASA, NARTO and PETROAN.
Many Nigerians believe that the suspension of the strike averts fears of a nationwide fuel scarcity, which loomed large as depots remained locked and trucks grounded on Monday.
