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Tag: Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA)

  • PTD Berates NUPENG For Frustrating Peace Talks With Dangote, Tells Govt, Organized Labour To Be Chary

    PTD Berates NUPENG For Frustrating Peace Talks With Dangote, Tells Govt, Organized Labour To Be Chary

    Petroleum Tanker Drivers have advised local and international Labour organizations, industry regulator, including Ministry of Labour and Employment not to be cajoled by the antics or sentiments of NUPENG who was currently painting a more dramatic picture in the fray by accusing Dangote Refinery’s representatives of deliberately frustrating the ongoing peace process initiated by the Nigerian Government.

    This advice was contained in a jointly signed statement on Tuesday by stakeholders of PTD Branch of NUPENG, namely, Comrades (Alhaji) Tajudeen Abubakar (Kaduna Zone), Chief (Mrs.) Blessing Dafinone (Warri Zone), Comrade Joseph Dagogo-Jack (JP) (Port Harcourt Zone) and Comrade Kolade Fadahunsi-Ojelabi (Lagos Zone).

    It would be recalled that the peace talks, which started Monday evening, September 8, ended around 12 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday without any fruitful resolution. While NUPENG insisted that workers in Dangote Refinery must unionise, Dangote officials said union membership should be made optional.

    NUPENG had last week directed its members to halt petroleum product distribution nationwide from September 8, over what it considered as Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals’ “anti-labour practices”. At the centre of the dispute was Dangote Refinery’s purported insistence that drivers recruited for its 10,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks will not be allowed to join any trade union.

    The statement reads in parts:

    “Without prejudice Dangote refinery and its business partners have been so magnanimous by honouring the call of the peace mediators, comprising of Ministry of Labour and Employment, industry regulators and leaders of Organized Labour when it conceded to the plea that refinery workers can be unionised, but unfortunately NUPENG insisted workers in the Refinery facilities must be unionised by force and their membership must never be made optional.

    “My candid advice to the local and international Labour organizations as well as the country’s Ministry of Labour and Employment is that they should never fall for the crocodile cry of NUPENG’s leadership as it is presently constituted. Organisations like IndustriALL Global Union, TUC, NLC, ITUC-Africa, NARRO, PENGASSAN, PETROAN, NOGASSA, CANMPSSAN, TGTSSAN, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) etc, should not fall for the antics, manipulations and sentiments of NUPENG. There is no truth in the propaganda pushed by NUPENG that Dangote Group and MRS Holdings are engaged in anti-union practices, monopolistic agenda, or indecent industrial relations strategies.

    “These Labour organizations should ask NUPENG while it is currently frustrating, harassing, intimidating, sacking, arresting, suspending and suing to court both its paid staff and members over trumped-up charges. As we speak NUPENG took the national executives of PTD led by Comrade Lucky Osesua to Court, they are also in Court with the National Treasurer of the Union, Alex Agwanwor who they criminally violated his fundamental rights, recorded his private conversation with his friends and families, prevented him to freely associate and communicate.

    “NUPENG even maligned the image of the union when their leaders were slammed with contempt charges by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) and other courts of competent jurisdiction. The national leaders of NUPENG are currently faced with more than 50 court cases, not with Government or any organization in the industry though, but with their own staff and members. NUPENG is also fighting Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) and the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products, (ADITOP), and these are also critical stakeholders in the oil and gas sector. Is that not ridiculous? That is the same union accusing Dangote of monopoly. These double standards should be condemned in its entirety.

    “We need to be fair as Nigerians by appreciating how Dangote group has outlined the major infrastructure moves in the country’s business climate, including the Petroleum industry downstream sector. Infact Dangote should be celebrated for taking the risk of purchasing 10,000 environmentally-friendly CNG trucks to make distribution of petroleum products seamless, effective and efficient without hiccups.

    “Those trucks will undoubtedly reduce the cost of diesel. They will reduce the fumes that come from burning diesel, will ensure faster delivery/journey times, less accidents, and guarantee supply reliability.

    “There is nothing like monopolisation in Dangote’s business, what we can see is better regulation and supply efficiency, The question Nigerians should ask is that have we had disruption since 2024? Dangote is practically taking off the entire Sub-Saharan African market. He exported 1.3 billion litres of petrol in June and July. For the first time, he exported petrol to the United States of America. The performance of the refinery speaks for itself, So the question is, has there been reliability of supply and assurance of supply? Dangote is supplying the market and there’s reliability. Government should consider the option of proscribing NUPENG instead of listening to their gibberish.”

  • NUPENG Fails Woefully As Dangote Refinery Workers Show No Willingness To Join Union

    NUPENG Fails Woefully As Dangote Refinery Workers Show No Willingness To Join Union

    The powers of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to unionise workers shrinks further on Tuesday as employees of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited including freshly recruited drivers of 10,000 newly purchased CNG trucks jointly vowed and doubled down not to embrace membership of the Union which they described as “Greek gift”.

    Speaking on behalf of the tanker drivers and refinery workers in Lekki on Wednesday, Taofeek Jimoh said the clause in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the feuding parties on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, clearly showed that only “willing” workers can be unionised. This development covertly neutralised the strength of the NUPENG to gain dominance or relevance at the facility.

    Meanwhile, NUPENG was reported to have suspended its strike on Tuesday evening following an agreement with the management of Dangote Refinery to recognise workers’ rights to unionise after the intervention of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Department of State Services, industry regulators and leaders of Organised Labour.

    The collapse of NUPENG was not merely the result of Nigeria’s economic shifts in the petroleum industry value chain, Petroleum Industry Act, or the outright deregulation of the sector where fuel prices are determined by market forces, but it was NUPENG’s lack of coordination, archaic operational/negotiation tact, arrogance, administrative indiscretion and absence of due diligence of its leaders that caused them this latest embarrassing blow.

    Taofeek who also corroborated what some stakeholders of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG said earlier on Tuesday during his chat with some energy correspondents on Wednesday said:

    “The deregulation of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is a transformative policy shift. The government’s goal is to tackle inefficiencies, attract investment, and create a market-driven operation where market forces determine fuel prices. Dangote Refinery as a major player in this sector has only validated and widened the progress made by the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in his Renewed Hope Agenda.

    “Today, I feel so proud as a tanker driver working for Dangote with an excellent pay package that speaks to my welfare, insurance, hazard allowances, world-class safety kits, and other benefits without the involvement of any union or their so-called collective bargaining agreements. I am a University graduate, and being a driver does not diminish me or strip me of my self-esteem; there is dignity in labour. This positive paradigm shift has shown that NUPENG is a scam to workers and whatever they are trying to claim to offer any staff here would be seen as a Greek gift, that is why everybody is seeing them as a plague to the work environment. The grandstanding can no longer work.

    “What finally messed up NUPENG was the clause in the Memorandum of Understanding which stated that only willing workers can be unionised, and from all indications, no refinery workers or tanker drivers are showing interest in being unionised. Section 9(6) of the Labour Act, and ILO conventions ratified by Nigeria, forbids NUPENG or any other union from forcing union membership, because doing so would infringe on workers’ constitutional freedom to associate willfully. The world is evolving every day, but NUPENG has refused to realise this simple fact; they are still depending on their old glory, which no longer exists since the demise of late Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, a consummate organiser and administrator with integrity who knew his onions.

    “I clearly agree with those PTD stakeholders who advised local and International Labour Organizations and the Ministry of Labour and Employment not to fall for the crocodile tears of NUPENG’s leadership as it is presently constituted. Organisations like IndustriALL Global Union, TUC, NLC, ITUC-Africa, NARRO, PENGASSAN, PETROAN, NOGASSA, CANMPSSAN, TGTSSAN, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) etc, should not fall for the antics, manipulations and sentiments at all. There is no truth in the propaganda pushed by NUPENG that Dangote Group and MRS Holdings are engaged in anti-union practices, monopolistic agenda, or indecent industrial relations strategies.

    “My valid poser to these Labour organisations is that they should ask NUPENG why they are fighting workers in their thousands, who are simply members of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) and the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP). Meanwhile, these are also critical stakeholders in the oil and gas sector. However, NUPENG, which is presently crying blue murder and accusing Dangote of monopoly, has been seen to be so toxic and intolerant to other stakeholders in the country. These double standards should be condemned in its entirety and should never be allowed to fly.

    “Nigerians should appreciate how Dangote group has outlined the major infrastructure moves in the country’s business climate, including the downstream sector of the Petroleum industry. In fact, Dangote should be celebrated for taking the risk of purchasing 10,000 environmentally-friendly CNG trucks to make the distribution of petroleum products seamless, effective and efficient without hiccups.

    “Those newly purchased trucks will definitely reduce the cost of diesel. They will reduce the fumes that come from burning diesel, will ensure faster delivery/journey times, fewer accidents, and guarantee supply reliability, and more importantly, they are insured.

    “There is nothing like monopolisation in Dangote’s business; we can see better regulation and supply efficiency. The question Nigerians should ask is whether we have had disruption since 2024? Dangote is practically taking off the entire Sub-Saharan African market. He exported 1.3 billion litres of petrol in June and July. For the first time, he exported petrol to the United States of America. The performance of the refinery speaks for itself, so the question is, are supply and assurance reliable? Dangote is supplying the market and there’s reliability. The government should consider the option of proscribing NUPENG instead of listening to their gibberish.

    “I must also thank senior officials of DSS and the Ministry of Labour and Employment for their firm stand on not allowing NUPENG to plunge Nigeria into a fresh round of economic crisis and for their resolve to make Nigeria’s business climate friendly, healthy and attractive to both local and foreign investors. We need more refineries in the country, and we want more players who can depopulate the unemployment market just like Dangote, and we don’t want any resistance to this progressive and fruitful move. Again NUPENG must remember that unionism is not by force but has been made optional and in Dangote Refinery workers have rejected them like hot potatoes.”