Urge Government to Act Promptly on Dangote Refinery - Falana Advocates for Immediate Intervention
The National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPAW) has announced an indefinite strike, effective from Monday, September 9, 2025. The strike is in response to Dangote Petroleum Refinery's alleged policy of compelling new drivers to sign agreements barring them from joining any union in the industry.
According to reports, the Dangote Refinery is urging newly recruited drivers to sign such agreements. This policy has been criticized as a violation of the rights of Nigerian workers to unionize. Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has asserted that the policy is a breach of several international and national laws.
Falana has highlighted that the policy violates the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) of the International Labour Organisation. He also pointed out that it infringes upon the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Constitution of Nigeria, the Trade Union Act, and the Nigerian legal obligations to respect the fundamental rights of workers to freedom of association.
The Nigerian government authorities have urged both Dangote Refineries and the NUPAW to engage in dialogue and resolve the dispute amicably. They emphasized the importance of respecting workers' rights to freedom of association while ensuring industrial harmony.
Falana has also called on the Federal Government to intervene in the ongoing dispute, urging the Registrar of Trade Unions to call Dangote Petroleum Refinery to order without delay. He cited the legal obligations imposed on the Federal Government of Nigeria by the Constitution, Trade Union Act, and international law to respect the fundamental rights of workers to freedom of association.
The struggle of Nigerian workers to unionize dates back to the British colonial regime. Despite the existence of trade unions in capitalist countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, the Dangote Group is reportedly determined to undermine them in Nigeria.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has been urged to halt the monopolistic practices of the Dangote Group, as they violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018. The strike by the NUPAW is supported by Femi Falana, a prominent human rights lawyer in Nigeria.
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