Femi Falana, SAN, a human rights attorney, has urged the federal government to step in and address the claim that Aliko Dangote, the owner of the Dangote Refinery, intends to compel recently hired drivers to sign agreements that prohibit them from joining well-known unions in the oil and gas industry.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers reminds BASEMEDIA
On Friday, NUPENG declared that starting on September 8, its members would cease working and begin searching for other employment.
According to NUPENG, the action was a direct response to the claim that Dangote Refinery was frantically trying to prevent its tanker drivers who were using compressed natural gas, or CNG, from joining labor unions.
In the meantime, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) have both declared their intention to abstain from the NUPENG-organized strike.
Falana responded by saying that, among other things, the Dangote Group’s policy violates Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution.
According to the senior attorney, the policy also violates a number of international agreements that Nigeria has ratified.
On Monday, September 9, 2025, the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers ordered its sizable membership in the oil and gas sector to go on indefinite strike.
The strike is a protest against Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s proposal to require recently hired drivers to sign a pledge not to join any of the nation’s oil and gas industry’s current unions.
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