By Abiola Olawale
Reports emerging on Tuesday have revealed that negotiations between the Federal Government (FG), the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and the Dangote Group have hit a deadlock.
The New Diplomat’s checks show that the negotiation is now set to enter the second day, with the government planning another meeting with representatives of NUPENG and Dangote for today, Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
This development comes amid concerns that the prolonged strike of NUPENG could disrupt fuel distribution chains across the country.
The New Diplomat’s checks show that already, some depots across the country have been shut since Monday, while some filling stations are running dry due to NUPENG’s nationwide strike.
Amid this development, a high-stakes talk was convened by Minister of Labour and Employment Muhammadu Dingyadi.
The talks began on Monday, September 8, in a bid to avert the industrial action declared by NUPENG over alleged anti-union practices at the Dangote Refinery.
However, it was learnt that the session ended in a stalemate late Monday, with no resolution.
The meeting, involving all the parties, was held in the conference room of the Ministry of Labour and lasted for several hours.
The meeting had in attendance the national executives of NUPENG and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress. Also present was the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ogbugo Ukoha, as well as representatives of the Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Minister of Labour, Muhammed Dingyadi, and the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiru Onyejeocha. The meeting, which was earlier scheduled to start by 10:00 am on Monday, suffered a setback and did not start until some minutes past 5 pm due to the late arrival of union officials.
An inside source privy to the details of the meeting said Dingyadi had prepared a Memorandum of Understanding to put an immediate end to the ongoing conflict.
The Minister was said to have presented the MoU to the representatives of NUPENG and Dangote during the meeting.
However, the move fell through after some of the resolutions contained in the MoU were rejected by officials of the Dangote Group, leading to further talks.
This was said to have stalled the negotiations as all parties hope to reconvene on Tuesday to commece discussions from where the talks ended on Monday.
Recall that NUPENG had levelled accusation against Dangote Group. The union claimed Dangote Group is allegedly engaging in “crude and dangerous anti-union practices” by barring drivers for its fleet of 4,000 imported compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks from joining labor unions.
The refinery owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, had planned to deploy the CNG trucks, said to be eco-friendly vehicles, for direct fuel distribution to retailers, bypassing traditional logistics networks.
However, NUPENG President Williams Akporeha decried the move as a threat to workers’ livelihoods, alleging low wages and a monopolistic agenda that erodes job security for tanker drivers.
The union also claimed the policy allegedly violated constitutional rights to freedom of association and international labor standards.
The Dangote Group, represented by figures such as Sayyu Dantata, has denied these claims, asserting its compliance with Nigerian labor laws while pushing forward with its distribution strategy to enhance efficiency.
