Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the Federal Government to act swiftly in response to allegations that the Dangote Refinery is compelling newly hired Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tanker drivers to sign agreements preventing them from joining established oil-and-gas unions.
Falana’s intervention comes in support of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which announced on Friday that its members would cease work beginning September 8, 2025, and start seeking alternative employment unless the policy is reversed. The indefinite strike, scheduled to begin Monday, September 9, stems from the union’s concern that the refinery’s actions infringe upon workers’ rights to freedom of association.
While the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) have distanced themselves from the strike, Falana insisted that the Dangote Group’s policy violates the Nigerian Constitution and international labour conventions.
“The policy of the Dangote Group contravenes Section 40 of the Constitution, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act, as well as Article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act,” he said. “It also breaches the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) of the ILO; as well as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights — all ratified by Nigeria.”
Falana demanded immediate action: “The Registrar of Trade Unions should call the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to order without delay,” he stated. He further urged the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to address what he described as monopolistic practices by the Dangote Group, contravening the provisions of the 2018 Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act.
Highlighting the historical significance of union rights, Falana reminded stakeholders that these rights were hard-won—even under colonial rule: “The struggle of Nigerian workers to unionise was fought and won under British colonial rule. We support the strike of NUPENG against the Dangote Group’s policy to erode workers’ rights to unionise.”
