Falana Blasts Dangote, Backs NUPENG Strike

Falana calls Dangote’s anti-union policy unconstitutional and unlawful.
NUPENG begins nationwide strike over refinery’s labour practices.
ASCAB declares full support for strike, urges FG and FCCPC to act fast.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has urged the Federal Government to step in immediately to resolve the growing industrial conflict between the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery over alleged anti-labour actions.

EKO HOT BLOG confirms that NUPENG had on Sunday, issued a directive for its members across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry to begin an indefinite strike starting Monday, September 9, 2025.

The union said the action is in protest against a policy at the Dangote Group which allegedly forces newly employed drivers to sign agreements barring them from joining any existing union in the industry.

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Reacting through a statement released under the banner of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Falana described the controversial policy as a violation of fundamental labour rights guaranteed by law, both nationally and internationally.

He said, “The policy is unconstitutional and violates Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act, and Article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.”

Falana went further to highlight that the directive breaches several global conventions and treaties ratified by Nigeria.

“The policy also offends the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) of the International Labour Organisation, and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, along with other international covenants ratified by Nigeria,” he stated.

He called on the Registrar of Trade Unions to immediately caution the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and ensure compliance with the law. He also asked the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate what he termed as Dangote Group’s monopolistic tendencies, saying such actions go against the FCCPC Act of 2018.

Falana said, “Even though powerful trade unions exist in all capitalist countries including the UK and the United States, the Dangote Group is determined to obliterate trade unions in Nigeria because it has been allowed to operate outside the ambit of the law.”

He warned that workers’ rights to organise and unionise in Nigeria have deep roots, dating back to the colonial era and cannot be wished away.

In a strong show of support for the union, Falana affirmed that ASCAB stands firmly with NUPENG, warning that any attempt to suppress the rights of workers would face resistance.

“The struggle for workers’ rights to unionise in Nigeria dates back to the colonial era and cannot be erased,” he said, adding that, “attempts to erode workers’ rights will be strongly resisted.”

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