The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its strike after reaching an agreement with the management of Dangote Refinery to recognise employees’ rights to unionise.

The deal was struck at a closed-door meeting convened by the Department of State Services (DSS), attended by Finance Minister Wale Edun and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Acting NLC General Secretary, Benson Upah, confirmed the outcome, while the Ministry of Labour said a formal statement would follow.

The resolution stemmed from a conciliation meeting convened on Monday, 8 September 2025, by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, after NUPENG threatened industrial action over Dangote’s initial refusal to recognise workers’ union rights.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the meeting, both parties acknowledged that unionisation is a right under extant labour laws, and employees of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals who wish to unionise would be allowed to do so.

The MoU outlined the following:

• The process of unionisation would begin immediately and be completed between 9 and 22 September 2025.

• The company agreed not to create any parallel union.

• No worker or employee would be victimised as a result of the strike notice.

In line with the agreement, NUPENG suspended its strike with immediate effect. All parties are expected to report back to the Minister of Labour one week after the exercise concludes.

The memorandum was signed by Sayyu Dantata, Managing Director of Dangote Group; O.K. Ukoha for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA); and Ojimba Jibrin for Dangote Group. Labour was represented by Benson Upah (NLC), N.A. Toro (TUC), NUPENG President Williams Akporeha, and NUPENG General Secretary Afolabi Olawale. The Ministry of Labour was represented by Amos Falonipe, Director of Trade Union Services & Industrial Relations, on behalf of the Minister.

The strike, which began on Monday, was triggered by allegations that Dangote Refinery was hiring new tanker drivers on condition they abstain from joining NUPENG. Dangote management dismissed the claims as “cheap blackmail”.

The refinery, which began operations last year, has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it the largest in Africa. It was established to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported petrol. While the facility has lowered pump prices and disrupted entrenched players in the oil sector, it has also sparked monopoly concerns due to Aliko Dangote’s dominance in the market.

Dangote was preparing to deploy thousands of compressed natural gas-powered trucks nationwide for fuel distribution, but the plan has been delayed, creating tension with more than 20,000 diesel-powered tanker operators.

During the strike, Dangote spokesman Anthony Chiejina maintained: “There is no fuel shortage, everything is going on,” while confirming talks were ongoing.

NUPENG’s action drew domestic and international solidarity, including support from the NLC, global union IndustriALL (Switzerland), and the International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW) network (Washington).