Nigeria’s petroleum supply chain was thrown into turmoil on Monday as tanker drivers under NUPENG began a nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery, accusing Africa’s largest industrial complex of anti-union practices.
The drivers claim Dangote’s management is attempting to monopolise the refining and distribution of petroleum products while sidelining existing unions. At issue is a plan to deploy 10,000 new compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks with drivers allegedly forced into a separate, company-controlled union.
“This is not philanthropy, it is economic sabotage,” declared NUPENG President Williams Akporeha, accusing the refinery of betraying workers’ trust. The union said its appeals to regulators had been ignored.
The strike has won backing from both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO). NLC President Joe Ajaero warned of a nationwide mobilisation if the Dangote Group fails to reverse course. “We will not hesitate to defend Nigeria from the clutches of monopoly capital,” he said.
With three of Nigeria’s most powerful labour organisations aligned, the industrial action threatens to paralyse fuel distribution at a time when the country is grappling with economic headwinds and inflationary pressures.
