The Federal Government has urged NUPENG and Dangote Refinery to maintain an earlier truce as union accusations of anti-labour practices clash with Dangote’s plan to roll out 1,500 CNG-powered trucks on Monday.
The Federal Government on Friday intervened again in the escalating dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, urging all parties to uphold a September 9 resolution.
At a meeting convened at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, attended by Labour Minister Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, DSS officials, regulators, union leaders, and Dangote Group representatives, the agreement was reaffirmed. NUPENG President Williams Akporeha confirmed that MRS Energy Ltd was specifically directed to restore NUPENG stickers removed from its trucks earlier this week.
Tensions, however, remain high, with NUPENG accusing Dangote of undermining its Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch, fostering division, and deploying “falsehoods” to discredit the union. Dangote rejected the claims, maintaining its investments will create 60,000 jobs and stabilise fuel prices.
Meanwhile, the refinery announced it will roll out 1,500 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks on Monday as part of a ₦720bn scheme to cut fuel distribution costs and reduce retail pump prices nationwide.