Dangote Refinery has assured Nigerians that the ongoing strike by fuel tanker drivers will not lead to petrol scarcity across the country.
Refinery spokesperson Anthony Chiejina said operations were running smoothly despite the industrial action, adding that discussions were ongoing between the company, the government, and the union.
Chiejina on Tuesday, stressed that the refinery, with its 650,000-barrels-per-day capacity, had adequate supply and distribution measures in place to prevent fuel shortages nationwide.
The strike, declared yesterday by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), followed allegations that Dangote was hiring new drivers on the condition that they would not join a union.
The refinery, however, denied the allegation, stating that no such hiring condition had been imposed on drivers, and that no one had ever been prevented from joining a union.
NUPENG, however, insisted that Dangote was unwilling to give workers a voice in his operations. Its president, Williams Akporeha, told newsmen that the union was ready to resist policies that undermine workers’ rights.
The strike has drawn support from the Nigeria Labour Congress, as well as international groups including IndustriALL (Switzerland) and the International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW) Network in Washington, D.C.
The Dangote refinery, which opened last year, has already disrupted Nigeria’s oil sector by lowering petrol prices for consumers but has also raised concerns over monopoly as it expands its dominance in fuel distribution.
