The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has accused the Dangote Group of deliberately misrepresenting facts and undermining workers’ rights, escalating tensions in the downstream petroleum sector.

In a strongly worded statement signed by NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, the union alleged that Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s September 11 press release was “malicious” and intended to weaken both the union and market competition, ultimately driving up fuel prices.

NUPENG said the refinery’s claim that workers are free to join the union was false, citing a September 9 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as evidence of the company’s initial resistance to unionisation. The union further alleged that Dangote management directed drivers to remove NUPENG stickers from trucks and replace them with those of a newly created in-house association, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA).

“This is a deliberate attempt to crush our union,” the statement read, accusing management of backing individuals with criminal cases who now speak for the DTCDA. NUPENG also linked the dispute to a violent attack on its leaders in Abuja in 2023, which left its General Secretary hospitalised.

The union warned Nigerians not to be swayed by Dangote’s offer of free nationwide petroleum delivery, describing it as a ploy to monopolise the sector by making other employers unable to retain tanker drivers.

Beyond truck drivers, NUPENG accused Dangote Group of systematically preventing unionisation across its cement, sugar, and petrochemical operations.

As of press time, the Dangote Group had not responded to the new allegations. In its earlier statement, the company maintained that joining any union at its refinery is strictly voluntary, in line with Nigerian labour law and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.