FG Moves to Avert Nationwide Strike as NUPENG, Dangote Refinery Face-Off Deepens

The Federal Government has stepped in to forestall a looming nationwide strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) over alleged anti-unionisation practices at the Dangote Refinery.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, announced on Sunday that he has summoned representatives of NUPENG, the refinery, and other stakeholders to a conciliation meeting scheduled for Monday, September 8, in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Patience Onuobia, the minister appealed to NUPENG to suspend its planned shutdown of petroleum operations and urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw the “red alert” it issued to affiliate unions 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,” Dingyadi said.

The minister warned that any disruption in the petroleum sector would cause widespread hardship for Nigerians and lead to huge financial losses for the government.

“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.

Dingyadi assured that the government remains committed to resolving the dispute amicably, adding that the outcome of the conciliation meeting would produce a solution acceptable to both labour and the refinery’s management.