The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has directed its members in the oil and gas sector to begin an indefinite strike starting Monday, September 9, 2025.
According to Mediaplusng.com, the strike is in protest against a new policy at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which allegedly forces newly recruited drivers to sign an agreement not to join any existing union in the industry. NUPENG described the move as a violation of Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act, and Article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The union also stressed that the policy goes against international labour conventions, including the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention (1948) and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (1949) of the International Labour Organisation. Reports by Mediaplusng.com add that NUPENG has called on the Federal Government, through the Registrar of Trade Unions, to immediately caution the Dangote Group. It also urged the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate alleged monopolistic practices.
NUPENG maintained that while trade unions operate freely in developed nations like the United Kingdom and the United States, the Dangote Group appears determined to weaken organised labour in Nigeria. The union reminded the company that Nigerian workers won the right to unionise even under colonial rule.
The union therefore pledged full support for the strike, stressing that it will resist any attempt to deny workers their constitutional rights to freedom of association and union membership.
