Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised the reported anti-union stance of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, warning that such actions violate Nigerian labour laws and international conventions.
Falana, in a statement on Sunday, condemned reports that newly recruited CNG tanker drivers were being compelled to sign contracts barring them from joining recognised unions in the oil and gas sector.
He said this policy not only offends Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 12 of the Trade Union Act but also breaches international commitments Nigeria has signed onto, including ILO conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers has directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike starting September 9 in protest against this illegal practice,” Falana noted, urging the Registrar of Trade Unions to intervene immediately.
He also called on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to check what he described as monopolistic practices by the Dangote Group, insisting they violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018.
“Even in advanced capitalist countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, powerful trade unions thrive. But here, the Dangote Group is trying to suppress unionism with impunity because it has been allowed to operate outside the law,” Falana said.
He reminded Nigerians that workers fought and secured the right to unionise even under colonial rule, adding that attempts to erode those hard-won rights must be resisted.
NUPENG had earlier declared its intention to down tools from September 9, while the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) also announced plans to suspend fuel lifting and dispensing for three days in solidarity.
Despite pushback from other associations, NUPENG has vowed to press ahead, setting the stage for a major showdown between one of Nigeria’s strongest labour unions and its most powerful industrialist. Falana maintained that the rule of law not monopoly must prevail.
