The federal government on Sunday invited leaders of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG and officials of the Dangote Refinery to an emergency meeting in Abuja.
The meeting is geared towards resolving the face-off between Dangote Group and NUPENG members who had planned nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Monday, September 8, 2025.
Tension is rising over moves by Dangote Group’s alleged policy against unionisation of its workers, which NUPENG considers as counterproductive.
But, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Labour and employment, the convener of the meeting in a statement signed by Patience Onuobia, Dingyadi, the Ministry’s head of Information and Public Relations, warned of severe consequences of the strike on the Economy, hence the need for reconciliation.
“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,” Dingyadi said.
The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the country’s economy, according to the statement.
It also said, strike in the petroleum sector, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact. It will not only lead to revenue losses running into billions of naira but also cause untold hardship for Nigerians.
