The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has appointed renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, to defend against a lawsuit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE, MRS Oil Nigeria Limited, and MRS Oil & Gas Company Limited. The legal action, lodged at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) under Suit No. NICN/ABJ/279/2025, follows a contentious labour dispute that has escalated tensions in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The announcement, made on Sunday, underscores NUPENG’s resolve to protect its members’ rights amid allegations of anti-union practices by the plaintiff companies.
The dispute originated earlier in September when NUPENG accused Dangote Refinery of compelling newly hired compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers to sign contracts that barred union membership. NUPENG argued that such conditions violate workers’ rights enshrined in Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 12 of the Trade Union Act. In response, the union mobilised its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch for a potential nationwide strike starting September 9, 2025. The Federal Government and the State Security Service intervened, facilitating a temporary agreement that allowed unionisation for workers who explicitly opted in within a two-week period. However, NUPENG, backed by Falana, has criticised this arrangement, asserting that junior workers are automatically union members under Nigerian law unless they formally opt out, citing legal precedents like the 2012 Nestoil v. NUPENG case.
On September 18, 2025, the NICN issued an interim injunction favouring Dangote and MRS, prohibiting NUPENG and its PTD branch from disrupting petroleum trucking services or blocking roads to the refinery and MRS facilities. The court also restrained the union from initiating any strike that could halt operations, citing the risk of “irreparable damage” to the companies. The injunction mandated that NUPENG members maintain essential services pending a full hearing, a decision that NUPENG has vowed to challenge through legal and industrial means.
In a statement released on Sunday, NUPENG’s President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, confirmed Falana’s engagement, emphasising his expertise in labour law as critical to defending the union’s integrity. They described the lawsuit as an orchestrated effort by “faceless groups” and “agents of unconscionable capitalists” to undermine NUPENG’s influence in the oil and gas industry. The union also reaffirmed the legitimacy of its PTD leadership under National Chairman Comrade Augustine Egbon, dismissing rival factions as impostors. NUPENG pledged to deploy all available measures to safeguard its members’ interests and warned against attempts to weaken organised labour in Nigeria.