Nigeria TV Info 

Unionism: NUPENG, Dangote Refinery Reaffirm MoU After Fresh DSS Meeting

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Dangote Refinery have reaffirmed their commitment to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) suspending strike action, following a fresh conciliation meeting convened at the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.

The MoU, signed on 9 September, grants refinery workers freedom to unionise within a two-week window (Sept. 9–22) and assures that no worker will face victimisation. NUPENG had suspended its strike threat on that basis.

Tensions resurfaced two days later when the union accused Dangote of breaching the deal by removing NUPENG identifiers from trucks and allegedly promoting a rival drivers’ body, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA). The union placed members on “red alert,” raising fears of fuel supply disruption.

At Friday’s DSS-brokered talks — attended by Dangote officials, NUPENG leaders, Finance Minister Wale Edun, Labour Ministry representatives, and labour federations (NLC, TUC) — both sides agreed to uphold the MoU. Government warned against intimidation or victimisation, pledging to supervise compliance.

Dangote insists union membership remains voluntary under Nigerian law and denies coercion, while NUPENG maintains management must not sponsor alternatives to undermine its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch.

The dispute is critical for national energy security, given Dangote Refinery’s central role in fuel supply. With the strike still suspended, the next 10 days are decisive: strict compliance with the MoU will determine whether peace holds or if industrial action resumes.