Dare Babalola
The Federal Government has summoned the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Refinery for a conciliation meeting over the brewing industrial dispute.
This follows the threat of the union to embark on a nationwide strike slated for Monday, September 8, over claims that the management of Dangote Refinery is attempting to bring back slavery.
According to a statement by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, on Sunday, all parties involved in the dispute have been invited to Abuja for a conciliation meeting.
The statement, signed by the ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia, disclosed that Dingyadi appealed to the union to shelve the planned strike to honour the meeting, adding that the intervention aims to defuse rising tensions over alleged anti-unionisation policies at the refinery.
He also called on the Nigeria Labour Congress to withdraw the “red alert” it issued in solidarity with oil workers.
“I have invited all the parties for a conciliation meeting tomorrow, Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have intervened, I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow.
“I also appeal to the NLC to withdraw the red alert it issued to its affiliate unions to be on standby for a nationwide strike,” Dingyadi said.
The minister warned that industrial action in the petroleum sector would trigger widespread hardship across the country and inflict heavy losses on government revenue.
“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the country’s economy. A strike in the petroleum sector, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact. It will not only lead to revenue losses running into billions of naira but also cause untold hardship for Nigerians,” he cautioned.
He also called on all stakeholders to allow peace to prevail, assuring that the government will broker a resolution acceptable to both labour and the private refinery.
“The matter will be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” the Minister stated.
