Fuel Scarcity Looms As Tanker Drivers Begin Strike Today

Nigeria may begin to experience fuel scarcity from today (Monday) unless the federal government resolves the industrial dispute between the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Refinery.

The tanker drivers declared a strike over Dangote Refinery’s plan to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution, bypassing existing tanker drivers. The initiative, according to NUPENG, threatens thousands of jobs and violates the right of workers to unionize.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed on Sunday that his ministry had invited all parties to a conciliation meeting in Abuja.

He appealed to NUPENG to shelve its planned nationwide strike, urging the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to also withdraw its “red alert” to affiliate unions.

“I plead with the unions to give peace a chance. I assure them that this matter will be resolved amicably,” Dingyadi said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Patience Onuobia.

Sources within NUPENG hinted that the strike might be suspended pending the outcome of the meeting. “In reverence to the intervention of government, we are putting the strike on hold to listen, with the hope that positive developments will come out,” a union insider told Daily Trust.

In a statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG accused Dangote of anti-labour practices.

The union alleged that the refinery barred new drivers from joining any union, describing it as a violation of Nigeria’s constitution and international labour conventions.

It argued that while it supported Dangote Refinery during its construction, it did not expect the company to “monopolise distribution, crush competition, enslave the sector, and raise prices.”

NUPENG vowed to resist moves that could undermine members’ livelihoods.

The planned strike has exposed divisions within the trucking industry. The Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), in a statement signed by its President, Barr. Enoch Kanawa dissociated itself from the strike, insisting it had no affiliation with NUPENG.

However, NUPENG had dismissed the group, declaring that there is no going back on the strike.

NUPENG claimed that DTCDA could not speak for members of Petroleum Tanker Drivers, adding that the Barrister Kanawa-led DTCDA was a creation of the management of Dangote Refinery, which has vowed not to allow its recruited truck drivers to “join NUPENG, which is the only statutorily recognized union authorized to unionize Petroleum Tanker Drivers.”

Comrade Williams Akporeha and Afolabi, President and General Secretary, respectively of NUPENG, in a statement jointly signed and issued to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, maintained that the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of its union would refrain from lifting of petroleum products from depots nationwide.

The statement, which declared that Barrister Enoch Kanawa is a lawyer, not a tanker driver, maintained that there is no division in the ranks of NUPENG or its PTD Branch.

NUPENG vowed that it would not surrender to what it called slavish conditions being promoted by Dangote Refinery in the oil industry.

Further deepening the cracks, four PTD zonal leaders – Tajudeen Abubakar (Kaduna Zone), Chief Blessing Dafinone (Warri Zone), Joseph Dagogo-Jack (Port Harcourt Zone), and Kolade Fadahunsi Ojelabi (Lagos Zone) – urged drivers to ignore NUPENG’s strike directive, calling it “insensitive and unacceptable.”

However, there is a sharp division among tanker drivers over the impending strike, even as some petroleum marketers and the umbrella body of workers in Nigeria, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has thrown its weight behind the strike.

Adding pressure, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) announced a three-day forewarning suspension of lifting and dispensing petroleum products starting Tuesday.

Its President, Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, said the move was to advocate healthy competition and prevent monopoly. He backed NUPENG’s stance, stressing that any industrial action would be lawful and peaceful.

“PETROAN underscores its commitment to advancing the interests of Nigerian citizens in pricing stability and promoting a stable, productive industry,” he said. Gillis-Harry called on President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to urgently intervene.

Dangote Refinery’s direct distribution plan was originally scheduled to commence on August 15 but faced delays due to logistics challenges in China and opposition within the sector. Still, some CNG trucks are already in Nigeria, signaling that the scheme is on track.

Observers warn that if the dispute is not resolved quickly, fuel scarcity could spread nationwide. With PETROAN’s involvement, filling stations may shut down, further worsening supply.

Industry analysts note that the strike highlights broader tensions over Dangote’s entry into the downstream sector. While the refinery promises to boost local refining capacity, unions fear it may dominate distribution and weaken existing players.

Labour experts argue that resolving the dispute requires balancing investment promotion with the protection of workers’ rights.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government, on Sunday, appealed to the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to reconsider their stance on the declared commencement of a nationwide industrial action.

It also pleaded with the Nigeria Labour Congress to withdraw the red alert it issued to its affiliate unions to be on standby for a nationwide strike in solidarity with the petroleum workers.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, has already waded into the matter.

Dingyadi said since his Ministry has intervened in the matter, the unions should shelve their plan of shutting down the petroleum industry, with a view to maintaining peace in this highly critical sector of the Nigerian economy.

“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 (today).

“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.

“I plead with the unions to give peace a chance. I assure them that this matter will be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” the minister said in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the ministry, Mrs Patience Onuobia.

Dingyadi also assured Nigerians that the dispute will be resolved harmoniously to ensure that no disruption occurs in the petroleum sector, which is vital to the Nigerian economy.

However, sources close to the union yesterday said the strike would not commence following the planned meeting with the federal government.

“The outcome of the meeting would determine whether or not the strike would go ahead as planned. In reverence to the intervention of the government, we are putting the strike on hold to listen to the government with the hope that positive developments would come out of the meeting,” he said.

General Secretary of NUPENG, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, did not respond to our correspondent’s enquiry, nor did he pick up several calls as of press time.