TRANSPORT Owners’ Union has ignored the Federal Government’s last-ditch efforts to suspend its planned industrial action, vowing to proceed with the strike in solidarity with the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has also declared solidarity with NUPENG in a nationwide industrial action that could paralyse fuel distribution and the economy across the country.
The strike, scheduled to begin on Monday, September 8, 2025, comes amid mounting fears over alleged monopolistic practices in the downstream oil and gas sector, particularly linked to the Dangote Group’s operations.
This is not the first time the union body has expressed such concerns in the lead-up to Dangote’s proposed role in dominating the petroleum distribution value chain.
Earlier, The ICIR reported a claim by PETROAN that a large chunk of its business would be disrupted when the Dangote Refinery implements its new nationwide market distribution plan.
On Sunday, June 15, the Refinery announced plans to begin a nationwide targeted distribution of premium motor spirit (PMS) and diesel to major retail outlets across the country, a move seen as a disruption to the petroleum tanker distribution body across the country.
The distribution was to serve marketers, petrol dealers, manufacturers, telecoms firms, aviation, and other large users across the country.
Accordingly, NUPENG, in a strongly worded statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, on Sunday, September 7, dismissed reports that tanker drivers had withdrawn from the strike, calling it “a management-inspired fabrication.”
The General Secretary of NUPENG, Olawale Afolabi, said the union was going ahead with its planned action notwithstanding intervention from any quarter.
It accused the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) of being an “artificially created union” sponsored by business moguls Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata to undermine NUPENG’s Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch.
“The DTCDA is the association which Dangote Group of Companies has formed for the drivers to join compulsorily rather than allowing drivers to join NUPENG, which is the only statutorily recognised union authorised to unionise petroleum tanker drivers,” the statement said.
It further alleged that the DTCDA was being housed in the Lagos office of MRS Energy Limited, owned by Dantata.
“Slavery ended centuries ago, but some unscrupulous capitalists are making efforts to bring it back. Any worker who cannot exercise the right of association is no better than a slave. Ordinary Nigerians should neither encourage nor support slavish working conditions,” NUPENG warned.
The union called on its members and the public to disregard “propaganda and misinformation” and assured that “solidarity remains constant, for the union makes us strong.”
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.