NUPENG Reopens Fuel Depots After Agreement With Dangote Refinery

Fuel loading resumed on Wednesday following an agreement reached between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Tuesday.

NUPENG President Williams Akporeha confirmed to our correspondent that depots and petroleum facilities previously shut during the two-day strike had been reopened.

“Yes!” Akporeha replied when asked if depots closed on Monday and Tuesday had been reopened.

The strike had been initiated to protest Dangote Refinery’s alleged refusal to allow its drivers — recruited for the company’s 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas-powered trucks — to join any trade union or association. On Monday, depots and some filling stations were shut down after initial talks mediated by the Ministry of Labour and Employment failed to resolve the dispute.

However, mediation by the Department of State Services led to a resolution on Tuesday evening. According to the agreement:

• Dangote Refinery management acknowledged workers’ right to unionisation in line with existing labour laws.
• Employees willing to join the union will be allowed to do so, with the process set to begin immediately and conclude within two weeks (9th–22nd September 2025).
• No other union will be established, and no worker will face victimisation arising from the strike.

Following the agreement, petroleum tanker drivers resumed fuel loading on Wednesday, easing fears of a potential fuel shortage.

Meanwhile, the National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis Harry, announced that the nationwide strike by retail outlets had also been called off.

“Normalcy has returned to the petroleum sector as fuel supply returns to normal, with depots and filling stations resuming operations,” he said, commending PETROAN members for 100% compliance and discipline during the strike.

He further expressed gratitude to government officials and security agencies for mediating the dispute, calling the resolution a “positive development for the nation’s economy.”