The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has confirmed that its planned nationwide strike will commence on Monday, insisting there is no going back on the action.

According to the union, the strike is in protest against the refusal of Dangote Refinery’s management to allow drivers of its imported Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks to join any trade union.

In a joint statement signed on Sunday by President Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi, NUPENG said the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the union would halt the lifting of petroleum products from depots across the country.

The union also dismissed a statement credited to Enoch Kanawa, President of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), who urged Nigerians to ignore the planned strike. NUPENG described the DTCDA as “a creation of management of Dangote Refinery, which has vowed not to allow its recruited truck drivers join NUPENG which is the only statutorily recognized union authorized to unionize Petroleum Tanker Drivers.”

The statement further clarified that Kanawa is a lawyer, not a tanker driver, and maintained there is no division within the ranks of NUPENG or its Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch.

NUPENG alleged that the Direct Trucking Company Limited, tied to the DTCDA, was established by Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata and Alhaji Aliko Dangote for the 10,000 CNG trucks they are importing.

Reaffirming its stance, the union declared:

“Slavery ended centuries ago but some unscrupulous Capitalists are making efforts to bring it back. Any worker who cannot exercise the right of association is no better than a slave. Ordinary Nigerians should neither encourage nor support slavish working conditions.”