ABUJA — The industrial clash between Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), alongside Petroleum Truck Drivers, took a dramatic turn on Wednesday as the National Industrial Court in Abuja issued an interim order restraining the unions from blocking highways or shutting down the multi-billion-dollar oil facility.
Justice E.D. Subilim granted the injunction after Dangote Refinery’s counsel, George Ibrahim, SAN, filed an ex-parte motion dated September 15, 2025.
In his ruling, Justice Subilim stated:
“An interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the 2nd Defendant/Respondent, its members, agents, servants, privies, representatives, assigns, or whatsoever and howsoever called from joining, continuing, further embarking on, or in any manner participating in the planned industrial action declared by the Defendant/Respondent or any other strike whatsoever against the Claimants/Applicants with a view to frustrating their businesses and operations pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”
The order, which is expected to last for seven days, comes amid a deepening row between NUPENG and Africa’s largest refinery.
For weeks, the oil workers’ union and the Depot Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) have accused Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices and attempts to monopolize the downstream sector.
But Aliko Dangote, president of the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery, has repeatedly dismissed the allegations, insisting his company is being unfairly targeted.
The dispute escalated on September 8, when NUPENG and its affiliates temporarily crippled fuel distribution across the country before the Federal Government waded in to restore supply.
With talks collapsing again, the unions had threatened to resume a fresh nationwide strike — a move now halted, at least temporarily, by the court order.
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