The Workers’ Rights Campaign (WRC) stands in solidarity with the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) as it commences a historic strike against the Dangote Group on Monday 8 September 2025. The group is doing its utmost best to decommission the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch by hook or crook. The Dangote conglomerate continues to wage class war aimed at undermining workers’ power and unity across African states, from Uganda to South Africa to Kenya It is high time that the working class stands up against the unchecked greed and monopolistic ambition of the Dangote Group WRC fully supports NUPENG for picking up the gauntlet of this fight.
The WRC makes bold to assert that the Dangote group under the guise of industrial development, is waging a silent war against the Nigerian working class. It is dismantling decades of hard-won labour rights and this act of impunity rooted in economic colonisation must be resisted with the collective struggle it deserves. We need to be clear, this is modern day slavery.
Dangote’s strategy is simple; dominate every sector, eliminate competition, and silence the voices of workers. From cement to sugar, and now petroleum, the goal is total control. And in the process, thousands of truck owners, drivers, mechanics, and service providers are being pushed into unemployment, poverty, and despair.
This is not just about business. The very survival of the PTD workers and their family members are at risk . WRC is calling on all Nigerian workers to resist this agenda with everything we have. We must defend our jobs, our unions, and our dignity. We must reject the idea that one man or one company can hold us hostage.
We therefore demand:
– The full recognition and protection of NUPENG as the representative union of petroleum tanker drivers and transport workers, and not corporate-controlled associations masquerading as worker organisations.
– An immediate halt to all monopolistic practices in the petroleum distribution sector that threaten job security, and national energy stability.
– The enforcement of labour laws and constitutional rights, especially the right of workers to freely associate and unionise without coercion or manipulation.
– Protection of the livelihoods of over 30,000 truck owners and millions of workers who are members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch.
– Government intervention to safeguard national energy security and economic stability.
This is a fight for justice. A fight for freedom. A fight for the soul of Nigeria.
We are not slaves. We are workers. And we will not be broken.
Resist the Dangote agenda. Defend our future. Mobilise now.
Signed
Kelvin AYEMHENRE
National Secretary
