The Traffic

Dangote Truck Drivers’ Association Warns Against Forced Unionisation Amid NUPENG Threat

Abuja — The Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), representing drivers under the Dangote Petroleum Refinery distribution scheme, has urged the federal government to prevent any form of coercive union recruitment, stressing that freedom of association is guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.

The statement follows a warning strike threat by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which accused Aliko Dangote and MRS boss, Sayyu Dantata, of anti-union practices and attempts to monopolise Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector.

NUPENG alleged that drivers engaged for Dangote’s newly procured fleet of 4,000 CNG-powered tankers are being compelled to sign undertakings barring them from joining existing unions. The union, in a statement signed by its President, Williams Akhoreha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, vowed to mobilise against what it described as union suppression.

But the DTCDA, in a counter-statement on Saturday signed by its National President, Enoch Kanawa, said it had no quarrel with NUPENG and rejected what it called “misleading narratives.”

“The Constitution guarantees freedom of association. Any licensed heavy-duty driver is mature enough to decide which organisation best protects his or her interest,” Kanawa said.

The association clarified that it is not a trade union but an umbrella body for drivers in both wet and dry cargo operations, including those under Dangote and MRS. Its focus, Kanawa explained, is driver welfare, covering health, insurance, pension benefits, road safety, and professional development.

While expressing support for deregulation and President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, the DTCDA cautioned that any action disrupting petroleum distribution would amount to a “flagrant abuse of union power” and a direct disservice to Nigerians.

The association urged government agencies to ensure no organisation recruits drivers by coercion, stressing that the oil sector’s stability must not be jeopardised by “union rivalry or manipulation.”

Meanwhile, as NUPENG threatens to commence a strike over the dispute, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to President Tinubu to step in and avert a looming crisis in the petroleum supply chain.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna