Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has accused Aliko Dangote and his cousin, Sayyu Dantata, of pursuing an anti-union agenda that jeopardizes workers’ rights and threatens the livelihoods of thousands in the oil and gas sector.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, NUPENG’s National Executive President, Mr. Williams Akporeha, and Secretary General, Mr. Aflabi Olawale, condemned the business practices of the duo.
“NUPENG is seriously concerned and disturbed with the unconscionable business practices of Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata and Alhaji Aliko Dangote who are scared of allowing unions to exist in their business outfits,” the statement read.
The union labeled their actions as “amassing wealth on the basis of enslavement,” arguing that denying workers union representation equates to creating “filthy wealth.”
NUPENG raised alarms over Dangote’s alleged plan to import 10,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks for fuel distribution, claiming it is a strategy to monopolize the downstream sector.
The union further alleged that new drivers recruited for this initiative are coerced into signing agreements that bar them from joining trade unions, a practice NUPENG called unconstitutional and a violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and international labour conventions.
“This is not philanthropy, it is economic sabotage,” the union declared, warning that the scheme could “enslave workers, crush competition, and ultimately raise fuel prices for ordinary Nigerians.”
In response, NUPENG announced that members of its Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch would begin seeking alternative employment and skills starting Monday, September 8, 2025.
The union called on the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, to intervene and curb these “tyrannical, anti-union business practices.”
NUPENG also rallied support from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and international labour organizations, urging them to prepare for mass protests and industrial action.
“Workers are no slaves, to resist unions is to resist collective bargaining,” the union asserted, emphasizing that “the working class will not be sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed.”
