PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harry, confirmed the development on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He noted that government intervention followed the association’s announcement to suspend the lifting and dispensing of petroleum products for three days beginning Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
According to Gillis-Harry, the planned shutdown is primarily in protest against alleged monopolistic practices by the Dangote Refinery. He explained that recent moves by the refinery to dominate all tiers of the petroleum value chain from refining to logistics and retail; raised concerns among stakeholders, including PETROAN, NUPENG, and NARTO.
“Consultations have started, and we believe the solution is simple: all stakeholders should sit at the table and agree on clearly defined roles. Our goal is efficiency and fairness, not conflict,” he said.
In a statement, PETROAN’s National PRO, Joseph Obele, stressed that the strike would take effect at midnight on Tuesday if discussions with government and regulators failed to produce tangible results. The association said the action is to resist monopolistic tendencies and protect workers’ rights.
Similarly, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has announced plans to begin a nationwide strike on Monday, September 8, accusing the Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices and restricting employees from union membership. The union described the alleged policies as “exploitative and reminiscent of modern-day slavery.”
While the Dangote Group has yet to respond to the allegations, the Federal Government has appealed to both PETROAN and NUPENG to reconsider their strike threats. Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, urged the unions to allow ongoing interventions to run their course, stressing that stability in the petroleum sector remains crucial to Nigeria’s economy.
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