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NUPENG suspends two-day strike after Dangote Group agrees to worker unionisation.
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Unionisation process to begin immediately and conclude within two weeks.
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No Dangote Refinery employee will face victimisation over strike actions.
The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Dangote Refinery have reached a historic agreement on unionisation, ending a planned two-day strike.
Dangote Refinery, NUPENG, unionisation formed the core of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during a closed-door meeting convened by the Department of State Services (DSS) and attended by Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, alongside representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
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The agreement, finalised following a conciliation meeting by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on September 8, 2025, affirmed that unionisation is a lawful right.
Employees of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals willing to join the union will be allowed to do so immediately. The process is set to run from September 9 to September 22, 2025, with management prohibited from establishing any other union.
The MoU guarantees that no worker will be victimised for participating in the unionisation process or related strike actions.
In line with the deal, NUPENG suspended its strike with immediate effect, and all parties are expected to report back to the Minister of Labour a week after the exercise concludes.
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Representatives signing the memorandum include Sayyu Dantata, Managing Director, Dangote Group; O.K. Ukoha, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA); Ojimba Jibrin, Dangote Group; Benson Upah, Nigeria Labour Congress; N.A. Toro, Trade Union Congress; NUPENG President Akporeha Williams; and NUPENG General Secretary Afolabi Olawale.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment was represented by Amos Falonipe on behalf of the Minister.
The dispute arose when NUPENG alleged that Dangote Refinery was hiring drivers on the condition that they refrain from joining the union.
The refinery, Africa’s largest with a 650,000 barrels-per-day capacity, opened last year to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrol and has since disrupted market players while raising monopoly concerns under Aliko Dangote.
