The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has said that the Federal Government has begun engaging its members to resolve the issues surrounding its proposed nationwide strike.
National President of the Association, Billy Gillis-Harry, gave the update when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.
Gilly-Harris listed the issues that led to the strike declaration as primarily the alleged monopoly on the part of the Dangote Refinery.
He, however, said stakeholders in the downstream sector are being engaged by the government to resolve the lingering issues.
The update comes as the Association announced plans to suspend the lifting and dispensing of petroleum products for three days beginning on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
According to a statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Joseph Obele, the association said the action would be effective at midnight on Tuesday if the consultations expected to be held from Sunday through Monday failed.
It said the three-day shutdown was aimed at resisting monopolistic practices in the petroleum downstream sector and safeguarding workers’ rights.
READ ALSO: PETROAN Set For Nationwide Shutdown Over Alleged Monopoly
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) also confirmed plans to begin a nationwide strike on Monday, September 8, 2025, accusing Dangote Refinery management of allegedly fostering exploitative labour practices reminiscent of modern-day slavery.
This was contained in a statement on Sunday signed by NUPENG’s President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olufemi.
The union had earlier announced the strike last Friday, citing alleged anti-labour practices by the refinery.
READ ALSO: Sheath Your Swords, Embrace Dialogue, DAPPMAN Tells NUPENG, PETROAN
The Dangote Refinery has yet to respond to the allegation.
“The issue at hand is that we want the industry to operate in a way that all players are efficiently serving Nigerians.
“We have advocated that there be a clearly defined role for all the players. Over 50 years ago, industry players set up retail outlets, so you have several stakeholders in the industry. We have the Major markets, we have the Depot, the Independent Marketers, PETROAN, NUPENG, and NARTO.
“We have had a situation in the last few months. From June, we started getting fillers of the Dangote Refinery wanting to involve itself in all the tiers of the business- from refining, to storage, to logistics, and then possibly finally the retail outlets.
“We have requested that, for the purpose of efficiency, let us sit on a round table and have this clearly defined, exactly what each of us can do, and we were very anxious. Let’s say on record that we want the Dangote Refinery to be very successful, and we keep repeating that, because we don’t want a misunderstanding that there is a fight. There is actually no fight. It is an insistence on how things should be.
“Now it has got to the point where workers’ rights are being infringed, up to the point that NUPENG have gone out to give a warning strike. Not that they have gone on strike. But they are giving a warning that the situation can become very taxing and troublesome for Nigerians. So let us all get it solved, and I think it is the right idea.
“For PEROAN, don’t forget that the most critical aspect of our operations is our retail outlets staff, and the people who are handling these are in the union. So once the NUPENG strike takes effect, our stations will effectively be locked up.
“We have called the government to intervene, and that has yielded a lot of positive results. As of yesterday, there has been a lot of consultation going on among the stakeholders and also the regulators.
“We believe that there will be a solution, and the solution is simple- everybody should be at the table. Let all of us do what we must do cooperatively to ensure that Nigerians are served more efficiently. That’s the whole story.
“It’s much better for efficiency that all retail outlets must belong to a union. If not, then you go to a station and buy one litre for maybe N2000, and then you get to other places and buy for N800, and there will be no sanctions because there is no union for internal control,” Gillis-Harry said on The Morning Brief.
At the heart of the dispute is Dangote’s controversial plan to bypass traditional distribution channels by importing 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks to deliver fuel directly to retailers, starting August 15.
READ ALSO: FG Urges NUPENG To Shelve Strike, Holds Conciliation Meeting Monday
The Dangote Group has also been accused of restraining its employees from associating with unions in the industry.
READ ALSO: NUPENG Insists On Strike, Tells Nigerians To Ignore Truck Drivers’ Association
The Federal Government has, however, called on NUPENG to reconsider its decision.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, made the call in a statement signed by the head of information in the ministry, Patience Onuobia.
He also appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to retract the red alert it issued, which urged its affiliate unions to prepare for a nationwide strike in support of the petroleum workers protesting what they describe as the Dangote Group’s anti-worker and anti-union practices.
The minister stated that, with the ministry’s ongoing intervention in the matter, all unions involved should postpone any plans to disrupt the petroleum sector.
This, he said, was aimed at preserving stability in the vital part of Nigeria’s economy.
