The suspension came after a marathon conciliation session in Abuja convened by the Department of State Services (DSS) and attended by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
NUPENG had threatened to shut down operations at Dangote Refinery and across the country, accusing the company of frustrating efforts by its employees to join trade unions freely.
The planned action sparked widespread anxiety, given the refinery’s central role in Nigeria’s fuel supply and the risk of compounding the nation’s already fragile economy.
Following exhaustive deliberations, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday.
The MoU, which labour leaders hailed as a triumph for workers’ rights, provides that unionisation is a statutory right under Nigeria’s labour laws.
Others include employees of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals are free to unionise without interference; the process of unionisation shall commence immediately and be concluded within two weeks (September 9–22, 2025); no worker will be victimised for taking part in the strike or for exercising their union rights; and the management will not create or sponsor any parallel unions to weaken collective bargaining.
Sayyu Dantata signed the MoU on behalf of the Dangote Group, O.K. Ukoha for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and labour leaders, including the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, the General Secretary of the TUC, Nuhu Toro, the President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, and the General Secretary of NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale. Amos Falonipe signed on behalf of the Minister for the Ministry of Labour.
Speaking after the agreement, Upah described the outcome as “a victory for Nigerian workers and a clear message that labour rights are not negotiable.”
He stressed that NUPENG’s pressure had compelled management to comply with the law, thereby preventing what could have been a crippling shutdown of fuel distribution nationwide.
*Deal averts nationwide fuel disruption as MoU guarantees unionisation in two weeks
By suspending its strike, NUPENG has averted what experts warn could have triggered fuel shortages, black-market price hikes, and further inflationary pressure.
The parties are expected to reconvene before the Labour Minister, a week after the conclusion of the unionisation exercise, to assess compliance.
For now, calm has returned, but labour leaders insist they will not hesitate to resume industrial action if the refinery backs out of the agreement.
