A representative of Nigeria’s Dangote refinery announced on Tuesday that the country will not experience a shortage of petrol, even though fuel tanker drivers are currently on strike.
The strike began on Monday and has quickly gained support from other unions both inside Nigeria and overseas. Despite this, the Dangote refinery, which is the largest refinery in Africa, has started hiring and training its own truck drivers to make sure petrol still gets to filling stations.
Anthony Chiejina, the spokesman for the refinery, reassured the public, saying:There is no fuel shortage, everything is going on as normal.
He also explained that discussions are ongoing between the striking union, the Nigerian government, and the refinery’s management in hopes of resolving the dispute.
Until recently, Nigeria had to import nearly all of its petrol even though the country is one of the biggest oil producers in Africa. This was because the government-owned refineries were poorly managed and had been neglected for many years. The opening of the Dangote refinery last year changed that. With a massive capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, it has helped reduce petrol prices for ordinary Nigerians. At the same time, the refinery has disrupted the oil market in Nigeria, where corruption and inefficiency have long been a problem.
However, the rise of the Dangote refinery has also raised concerns. Many people fear it could turn into a monopoly because it is such a dominant player in the market, especially since it is owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
In August, the refinery announced a major plan: it would roll out thousands of new trucks that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) to deliver petrol across the country. But so far, that plan has been delayed due to logistical problems. This new plan has also caused tension in the industry, since for decades Nigeria’s fuel distribution has relied on more than 20,000 diesel-powered tankers.
The strike by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) began after the union accused Dangote of hiring new drivers only if they agreed not to join the union. The company strongly denies this claim. According to NUPENG president Williams Akporeha, Dangote has shown little interest in employing workers who want a voice in their workplace. He told Arise News on Tuesday that Dangote is not prepared to have workers that will have a say in his employment.
NUPENG’s strike has quickly gathered support from within Nigeria and abroad. The Nigeria Labour Congress, a powerful workers’ group in the country, has backed the strike. Outside Nigeria, international organisations such as Industrial (a global union based in Switzerland) and the International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network (from Washington, USA) have also voiced their support.
Dangote’s spokesman, Anthony Chiejina, dismissed the accusations, calling them cheap blackmail. He insisted that no workers have ever been prevented from joining a union, describing the claims as completely false.
