Labour Minister summons emergency talks to stop Monday NUPENG strike

The Federal Government is intervening in a dispute between the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group, in a last-ditch effort to avert a nationwide strike scheduled to begin Monday, September 8, 2025.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, has called an emergency conciliation meeting for Monday to broker peace. The core of the conflict is the Dangote Group’s alleged policy of preventing employees involved in its new fuel distribution network from unionizing and joining NUPENG.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Minister Dingyadi made a direct appeal to NUPENG and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to suspend their planned industrial action, citing the devastating economic consequences of a shutdown in the petroleum sector.

“I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow,” Dingyadi stated. He emphasized that even a one-day strike would lead to billions of naira in revenue losses and cause “untold hardship and difficulties for Nigerians.”

The minister assured all parties that his intervention would lead to an amicable resolution and urged the NLC to withdraw the “red alert” it issued to its affiliate unions, putting them on standby for a solidarity strike.

The dispute stems from Dangote Refinery’s ambitious plan to import thousands of CNG-powered trucks to distribute fuel directly across Nigeria. NUPENG alleges that the company is requiring new drivers to sign undertakings that explicitly bar them from joining any oil and gas union, a move the NLC has condemned as an “anti-workers and anti-union agenda.”

With the NLC firmly backing NUPENG’s threat, the Federal Government is deeply concerned about a potential disruption to fuel supply, which could trigger widespread scarcity. The outcome of Monday’s emergency meeting is now critical to maintaining stability in this vital sector of the Nigerian economy.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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