NUPENG Strike: Dangote speaks on fuel scarcity

A spokesman for Dangote Refinery has said that Nigeria will not face petrol shortages, even though fuel tanker drivers are on strike.

The strike, which started on Monday, has gained support from unions in Nigeria and abroad. The refinery explained that it has begun using its own drivers to deliver fuel to filling stations.

“There is no fuel shortage, everything is working,” said Dangote’s spokesman, Anthony Chiejina. He added that talks are ongoing between the union, the government, and the company.

The $20bn Dangote Refinery, which opened last year with the capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil daily, reduced Nigeria’s heavy dependence on imported petrol. It has also lowered fuel prices for consumers.

However, the refinery has been accused of trying to create a monopoly in the oil market. Plans to roll out thousands of trucks powered by compressed natural gas have been delayed by logistics problems.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) went on strike, claiming that Dangote hires drivers only if they agree not to join the union. Dangote has denied this.

Union president Williams Akporeha told Arise News that Dangote “does not want workers to have a voice.” NUPENG has since received support from the Nigeria Labour Congress and global labour groups in Switzerland and the United States.

But Dangote’s spokesman dismissed the allegation, saying: “It’s not true, nobody has done that and nobody ever ha