A citizens-led group, Mass Action Against Economic Saboteurs (MAAES), has warned the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) against destabilising the country with its planned strike action.
Recall NUPENG had threatened a nationwide strike over Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s plan to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks for fuel distribution.
In a statement issued on Saturday, George West the president of the coalition, said NUPENG cannot hold Nigeria hostage under the guise of defending workers’ rights, stressing that union membership is a matter of personal choice, not compulsion.
“The Supreme Court has already affirmed that the question of union membership is a fundamental right of individuals. No worker can be forced to join a union against their will. Any industrial action called on such flimsy grounds is not about labour rights but a reckless attempt to destabilise Nigeria and inflict suffering on millions of ordinary citizens,” West said.
The group, with branches across the country, dismissed the accusations as baseless and dangerous, warning that they are part of a campaign to frustrate Nigeria’s most ambitious private-sector project.
“Dangote Refinery is not enslaving anyone; it is creating thousands of decent jobs, strengthening local capacity, and providing Nigerians with a long-awaited solution to fuel import dependence. The refinery is a $20 billion investment built on Nigerian soil to serve Nigerian needs. For anyone to describe it as a threat is nothing short of mischief,” he said.
The group described NUPENG’s threat as particularly insensitive at a time when Nigerians are grappling with economic pressures and uncertainty in the oil and gas sector.
“It is shameful that the same unions that watched over the collapse of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries are now plotting against the private refinery that has given the nation renewed hope. Nigerians will not allow this sabotage. We will rise to defend Dangote Refinery at all times, because it represents progress, jobs, and self-sufficiency,” West declared.
They called on the federal government and security agencies to take firm measures to prevent any industrial action that could disrupt petroleum product supply nationwide, insisting that such action should be treated as an attack on the people.
