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The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government has decided to engaged with the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Refinery over their face-off.
The federal government is appealing to NUPENG to suspend its planned nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Monday, September 8, 2025.
Confirming the government’s decision to resolve the dispute on Sunday, the Minister of labour and employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, disclosed that he has summoned all parties to a conciliation meeting on Monday in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s head of information and public relations, Patience Onuobia, Dingyadi urged NUPENG to rescind its decision to shut down operations in the petroleum sector and appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to withdraw the “red alert” it issued to its affiliates in solidarity with the oil workers.
“I have invited all the parties for a conciliation meeting tomorrow, Monday, September 8, 2025. Since I have intervened, I plead with NUPENG to rescind their decision to shut down the petroleum sector from tomorrow.
“I also appeal to the NLC to withdraw the red alert it issued to its affiliate unions to be on standby for a nationwide strike,” Dingyadi said.
He warned that industrial action in the petroleum sector would trigger widespread hardship across the country and inflict heavy losses on government revenue.
“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the country’s economy. A strike in the petroleum sector, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact. It will not only lead to revenue losses running into billions of naira but also cause untold hardship for Nigerians,” he cautioned.
While calling on all stakeholders to allow peace to prevail, he assured that government will broker a resolution acceptable to both labour and the private refinery.
“The matter will be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” the Minister stated.
