NUPENG tells Nigerians to ignore truck drivers’ association, insists on strike

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says there is no going back on its planned industrial action over Dangote refinery’s refusal to allow drivers of its imported compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to belong to a trade union.

In a statement on Sunday, Williams Akporeha, NUPENG president, and Afolabi Olawale, the union’s general secretary, said the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the union would withdraw services and stop lifting petroleum products from depots across the country.

The union dismissed a statement attributed to Enoch Kanawa, president of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), who had asked Nigerians to disregard NUPENG’s strike notice.

According to NUPENG, the DTCDA is a creation of Dangote refinery and its promoters, Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata, aimed at preventing drivers of 10,000 imported CNG trucks from joining the union.

“The attention of the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has been drawn to a news report on ARISE Television on Saturday night 6th September, 2025 and in some daily newspapers of some unidentified persons and group of people calling themselves Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) asking Nigerians to disregard our alert on the withdrawal of services by Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG,” the statement reads.

“We ask our members, members of the public and independent minded objective segments of the media to disregard (DTCDA) and its statements.

“For the information of the public, the DTCDA is the Association which Dangote Group of Companies has formed for the drivers to join compulsorily rather than allowing drivers to join NUPENG which is the only statutorily recognised union authorised to unionise petroleum tanker drivers.

“The signatory to the statement of DTCDA, one Enoch Kanawa, is a lawyer, not a tanker driver.

“Barrister Enoch Kanawa signed the statement as President of DTCDA. The media should ask Kanawa when DTCDA was formed and when his election as President took place.

“As a matter of fact, Barrister Kanawa was formerly the Executive Secretary of National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) from 2001 to 2012, left NARTO to become Legal Adviser to MRS Energy Limited of Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata and in 2019 came back to contest for the position of the President of National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) under the sponsorship of Alhaji  Sayyu Aliu Dantata but was defeated by Alh Yusuf Othman, the current President of NARTO.

“These facts are to show without doubt and beyond controversy that the DTCDA is a management-inspired Association and the news was created by the agents of Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata to create confusion and misinformation, there is no division in our ranks and file, our Solidarity remains Constant!

“DTCDA is the association formed by Alhaji  Sayyu Aliu Dantata, the owner of MRS. The Direct Trucking Company Limited is the recruiting company that was formed by him and Alhaji Aliko Dangote for the 10,000 CNG Trucks they are importing.

“DTCDA was originally meant to be Dangote Transport Company. Its registered office is at 2, Tincan Island Port Road, Apapa, Lagos.

“The address of DTCDA is the same official address of MRS Energy Limited.

“We want the general public to know that Alhaji  Sayyu Aliu Dantata is the founder and Funder of Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) and he is housing this Association in his official company headquarters.”

‘SOME CAPITALISTS REVIVING SLAVERY’

The union said slavery may have been abolished centuries ago, but some “unscrupulous” capitalists are attempting to revive it, adding that any worker denied the freedom of association is effectively being treated as a slave.

“Ordinary Nigerians should neither encourage nor support slavish working conditions,” NUPENG said.

On September 5, NUPENG said workers will down their tools and start sourcing for alternative employment from September 8.

However, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) asked its members to ignore the strike notice issued by the NUPENG.

Also, the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) said it will not join the planned strike by NUPENG, describing the move as “a disservice to Nigerians”.