The Federal Government has appealed to the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to shelve its planned nationwide strike set to begin today, Monday, September 8, 2025.

The dispute stems from allegations that the Dangote Group is preventing its workers from joining unions in the industry.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Minister, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, through the ministry’s head of information, Patience Onuobia, called on both NUPENG and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to reconsider their positions. He urged the NLC to withdraw the “red alert” it had issued to affiliate unions in solidarity with NUPENG.

Dingyadi said the ministry had already waded into the matter and invited all parties to a conciliation meeting scheduled for today.

“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 in solidarity with NUPENG,” he stated.

The minister warned that even a day-long shutdown in the petroleum sector could cause huge losses running into billions of naira and inflict hardship on Nigerians. “The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the country’s economy,” he added.

He assured Nigerians that the matter would be resolved amicably to prevent disruptions in the sector.

NUPENG had on Friday announced that its members would stop work and seek alternative employment starting today, citing Dangote Refinery’s alleged attempts to bar compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining unions.

While the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) have distanced themselves from the planned strike, NUPENG reaffirmed on Sunday that the industrial action would go ahead.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has thrown his weight behind NUPENG, insisting that Dangote’s policy violates Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act, and Article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He further argued that the policy breaches international agreements ratified by Nigeria, including the International Labour Organisation’s conventions on the right to organise, as well as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.