The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has been warned against plunging the country into crisis with threats of a nationwide strike.
Naija News reports that Nigeria may be heading into another round of fuel scarcity across the nation as a brewing confrontation between the NUPENG and the Dangote Refinery threatens to disrupt petroleum product distribution nationwide.
Recall that NUPENG directed its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch to stop loading petroleum products from Dangote depots starting Monday, September 8.
At the centre of the dispute is Dangote Refinery’s reported insistence that drivers recruited for its 10,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks will not be allowed to join any trade union.
NUPENG described this as “an affront on the right of association guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution, and a breach of international labour laws to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
In statement signed by NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, the union accused Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices inimical to the survival and livelihoods of its members
Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday, George Priye West, president of a citizens-led group, Mass Action Against Economic Saboteurs (MAAES), said NUPENG cannot hold Nigeria hostage under the guise of defending workers’ rights, stressing that union membership is a matter of personal choice, not compulsion.
“The Supreme Court has already affirmed that the question of union membership is a fundamental right of the individuals. No worker can be forced to join a union against their will. Any industrial action called on such flimsy grounds is not about labour rights but a reckless attempt to destabilise Nigeria and inflict suffering on millions of ordinary citizens,” West said.
The group dismissed NUPENG’s accusations as baseless and dangerous, warning that they are part of a campaign to frustrate Nigeria’s most ambitious private-sector project.
“Dangote Refinery is not enslaving anyone; it is creating thousands of decent jobs, strengthening local capacity, and providing Nigerians with a long-awaited solution to fuel import dependence. The refinery is a $20 billion investment built on Nigerian soil to serve Nigerian needs. For anyone to describe it as a threat is nothing short of mischief,” he said.
The group described NUPENG’s threat as particularly insensitive at a time when Nigerians are grappling with economic pressures and uncertainty in the oil and gas sector.
“It is shameful that the same unions that watched over the collapse of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries are now plotting against the private refinery that has given the nation renewed hope. Nigerians will not allow this sabotage. We will rise to defend Dangote Refinery at all times, because it represents progress, jobs, and self-sufficiency,” West declared.
They called on the federal government and security agencies to take firm measures to prevent any industrial action that could disrupt petroleum product supply nationwide, insisting that such action should be treated as an attack on the people.
“Any attempt by NUPENG or any group to declare a strike on this hollow basis must be treated as economic sabotage and even as an act of terrorism against the people,” West announced.
“The government must not fold its arms while a few vested interests attempt to blackmail the nation into chaos. Nigerians deserve stability, not manufactured scarcity.”
The group further urged Nigerians to ignore threats of scarcity and continue their daily activities without fear.
“We call on the public to remain calm and resolute. This is not a struggle for ordinary workers but a fight by entrenched interests who cannot stomach competition. Nigerians should go about their businesses and not allow themselves to be misled by this campaign of destabilisation,” the statement read.
West emphasised the group is not opposed to unionism but stressed that workers must retain the freedom to choose their associations.
“The right to join a union is sacred, but so too is the right not to join one. The constitution protects both rights equally. What NUPENG seeks to do is force people into its fold to preserve its relevance. That is not democracy. That is tyranny, and it will not stand,” the group added.
The post Don’t Destabilise Nigeria Over Dangote Refinery Dispute, NUPENG Warned appeared first on Naija News.
