NLC protesters
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urgently appealed to President Bola Tinubu to step in and resolve the escalating conflict between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group, warning that failure to act could unleash widespread industrial unrest and fuel shortages across the nation.
In a statement released on Saturday, September 6, 2025, in Abuja, NLC President Joe Ajaero demanded that the president compel the conglomerate to adhere strictly to Nigerian labour regulations and global standards.
This plea follows NUPENG’s declaration of a nationwide strike set to begin on Monday, September 8, 2025, in protest against what the union labels as the group’s “anti-union practices, monopolistic agenda, and indecent industrial relations strategies.”
Ajaero specifically urged Tinubu to “immediately call Aliko Dangote and Alhaji Sayyu Dantata to order” and ensure they uphold both domestic and international legal obligations, emphasizing that authorities cannot ignore the risks of allowing a handful of tycoons to “privatise the nation’s energy future and enslave its workforce.”
The dispute centers on Dangote Refinery’s plan to import 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution, with recruits allegedly required to sign pledges renouncing union membership—a move NUPENG views as a direct assault on workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.
The NLC accused the Dangote empire of a systematic pattern of exploitation, including substandard wages, favoritism toward foreign hires over qualified locals, and the promotion of casual labor amid hazardous conditions.
“The NLC unequivocally condemn the anti-union, anti-worker, and monopolistic practices of the Dangote Group and its affiliates,” Ajaero declared, adding, “Nigerian workers are not slaves and cannot be serially abused without consequences.”
Ajaero further insisted on the prompt unionization of the Dangote Refinery and its affiliates, while placing all NLC affiliates and state councils on high alert for coordinated action in support of NUPENG.
“If Dangote continues on this reckless anti-union path, we will move beyond words to action. Our solidarity is not negotiable. We will fight because we must. The working class must not be sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed,” he warned, signaling potential mass mobilization that could paralyze fuel supply chains.
The NLC framed the standoff as more than a sectoral grievance, portraying it as a broader threat to trade unionism and decent work principles enshrined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (Section 40), the Labour Act, and International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98. It criticized the group’s dominance in sectors like cement, sugar, and now petroleum, arguing that such monopolies exacerbate poverty rather than drive development.
“This is not industrialisation; it is economic sabotage. It is not nation-building; it is class robbery,” the statement asserted.
