The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its two-day strike following a crucial meeting with the Dangote Group on Tuesday.
NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed the development, stating that the Dangote refinery management, led by Sayyu Dantata, had agreed to unionise its drivers after talks mediated by the Department of State Services (DSS).
“We have suspended the strike. The Dangote refinery has agreed to unionise its drivers. We signed an agreement,” Akporeha told our correspondent.
The strike, which began on Monday, had paralysed petroleum lifting across the country. Filling stations were shut down in some states, while refineries such as Aradel Refinery in Port Harcourt and the Kwale Hydrocarbon facility in Delta State were forced to halt operations.
NUPENG had threatened the action last week, accusing the Dangote refinery of plotting to prevent its 4,000 truck drivers from joining the union. Despite appeals from the Federal Government, the strike went ahead, with full compliance reported nationwide.
Across major depots in Lagos and Warri, drivers parked their trucks while NUPENG officials enforced the directive, leading to fuel shortages and long queues at filling stations.
With Tuesday’s agreement, operations are expected to gradually resume, easing concerns of a prolonged fuel crisis.
