The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has challenged the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to expose those responsible for the alleged \$18 billion wasted on the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries.
Citing years of failed turnaround maintenance at the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, Dangote accused successive governments of squandering public funds without accountability or results.
This development comes amid rising tensions between the refinery and NUPENG over unionisation rights for Dangote’s newly recruited compressed natural gas (CNG) truck drivers. The union had accused Dangote of attempting to monopolise the fuel distribution sector and of preventing workers from joining NUPENG. In response, the company denied the claims, insisting it operates within a deregulated market under government oversight and supports labour rights.
Dangote pointed out NUPENG’s past resistance to the 2007 privatisation of the refineries, including deals involving its consortium, as part of the ongoing conversation around refinery mismanagement. The company urged the union to shift focus to holding the real culprits accountable for the massive losses in the public sector, rather than target its private operations.
Tensions escalated further when NUPENG accused Dangote of violating a Memorandum of Understanding signed on September 9, which had temporarily ended depot shutdowns earlier in the week. The union alleged that Dangote management had directed drivers to remove NUPENG stickers from their trucks, replacing them with those of a company-backed drivers’ association, prompting another blockade at the refinery entrance.
In a statement, Dangote’s spokesperson Anthony Chiejina dismissed the union’s accusations as false and reiterated the company’s commitment to workers’ rights and legal union affiliations. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour intervened once again, hosting a meeting between both parties at the Department of State Services office in Abuja, where they were urged to abide by the existing agreement to avoid further disruption to fuel distribution nationwide.