The Workers and Youth Solidarity Network (WYSN) has thrown its weight behind the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in its ongoing face-off with Dangote Petroleum Refinery, condemning what it described as a “blatant attack on workers’ rights” by Africa’s richest man’s oil empire.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the group accused Dangote Refinery of attempting to ban unionism within its operations, warning that such actions amount to “union-busting, exploitation, and an assault on Nigeria’s democracy.”
“The right to freely associate and form or join trade unions is a fundamental and inalienable right, protected under Nigeria’s Constitution, the Labour Act, and numerous international conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory,” WYSN declared.
“Any attempt by a private employer, no matter how powerful, to suppress this right represents an assault not only on the affected workers but on the entire Nigerian labour movement.”
The group described reports that refinery workers are being denied the right to organise as “deeply disturbing,” accusing Dangote Industries of hiding behind its image as a national economic saviour while exploiting workers.
“This is a defining moment for the Nigerian labour movement. The fight at the Dangote Refinery is a fight to defend the right of every Nigerian worker to organise, to resist exploitation, and to build power from below,” the group stressed.
“The WYSN will continue to mobilise, educate, and agitate in solidarity with all workers resisting corporate oppression. We call on all socialist, progressive, and working-class organisations to unite behind NUPENG and demand full respect for union rights at Dangote Refinery and across all sectors.”
WYSN vowed to “mobilise, educate, and agitate” in solidarity with NUPENG and urged all socialist, progressive, and working-class organisations to unite against corporate oppression.
It also commended NUPENG for taking a “bold and principled stand” despite the combined weight of government and billionaire-backed power.
The statement further urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to escalate actions beyond solidarity statements, calling for mass mobilisation not only for union recognition at Dangote Refinery but also for a new minimum wage, an end to casualisation, and stronger protections for workers across all sectors.
Reporters had reported that fuel loading operations across petroleum depots were crippled on Monday as the NUPENG protested against the alleged ban on workers’ unionism at Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The shutdown followed a marathon meeting in Abuja between Dangote representatives, NUPENG leadership, and federal government officials at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity.
The reconciliation session, which lasted several hours, was expected to produce a Memorandum of Understanding to end the standoff but ended without resolution.
In attendance were national executives of NUPENG, officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), alongside the Executive Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ogbugo Ukoha. Representatives of the Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum also participated.
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