“Falana Demands FG Clampdown On Dangote Refinery Over Fuel Crisis”

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to immediately intervene in the ongoing dispute between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and workers in the oil and gas sector.

Falana strongly criticized the refinery over reports that newly recruited drivers were being compelled to sign undertakings preventing them from joining established trade unions within the industry. According to the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG) has consequently directed its members to commence an indefinite strike beginning Monday, September 9, 2025, in protest of the policy.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, Falana described the move by the refinery as a direct violation of several international conventions and human rights instruments ratified by Nigeria. He cited the International Labour Organisation’s Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention of 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention of 1949 (No. 98), in addition to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Senior Advocate stressed that, under Nigeria’s Constitution, the Trade Union Act, and international obligations, workers have the fundamental right to freedom of association. He therefore urged the Registrar of Trade Unions to call Dangote Petroleum Refinery to order without delay.

Falana further demanded that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission take urgent steps to curb what he described as monopolistic practices by the Dangote Group, arguing that such actions violate the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018.

He noted that even in capitalist economies such as the United States and the United Kingdom, trade unions are recognized and respected, yet the Dangote Group appears intent on undermining unionism in Nigeria because of the government’s tolerance of its operations outside the law.

Recalling the long struggle of Nigerian workers to unionise during the colonial era, Falana affirmed his support for NUPENG’s strike, insisting that the refinery’s policy seeks to strip workers of their constitutional and historical rights to organize and defend their interests.