The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its planned strike following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the management of Dangote Refinery.
The agreement, brokered at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja, was announced on Tuesday, September 9, by Falonipe Amos, Director of Trade Union Services & Industrial Relations.
According to the MoU, the refinery management formally agreed to allow workers who wish to do so to unionize under NUPENG.
“Since workers’ unionization is a right in line with the provisions of the extant laws, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals agreed to the unionization of employees of both facilities who are willing to unionize,” the statement read.
The parties also resolved that the unionization process will commence immediately and be concluded between September 9 and 22, 2025. Importantly, the refinery management pledged not to establish any parallel or alternative unions.
In addition, the agreement emphasized that no worker would be victimized as a result of the strike notice or their decision to join the union. Both parties also committed to reporting back to the Minister of Labour a week after the conclusion of the unionization exercise.
With these assurances, NUPENG confirmed it was suspending the planned strike with immediate effect.
The development is seen as a major breakthrough in labour relations, particularly given the scale of operations at the newly launched Dangote Refinery, which is expected to play a central role in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The suspension of the strike also comes as a relief to Nigerians, who had feared possible disruptions in the supply of petroleum products if the industrial action had gone ahead.
