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The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) of imposing hefty levies on fuel trucks at his refinery.
Dangote, who addressed journalists on Sunday in Lagos, warned that such practices directly inflate pump prices for consumers.
He alleged that NUPENG collects between N48,000 and N50,000 from every truck that loads fuel, a system he described as exploitative and unsustainable.
“By the time other groups add their charges, the total cost rises to as much as N84,000 per truck. Ultimately, it is the consumer who bears that burden,” the Africa’s richest man stated.
He condemned the charges as rent-seeking behaviour that undermines efficiency in the downstream oil sector.
Dangote recalled how transport unions once “held the company by the neck” when he was still importing fuel.
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The situation, according to Dangote, prompted him to establish an in-house fleet under his brother’s management.
He insisted that the company’s newly launched fleet of 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks would not be subjected to similar pressures.
The industrialist also rejected claims that the company is preventing drivers from joining unions and insisted that membership must remain voluntary as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution and labour laws.
“Even religion is voluntary, you cannot force anyone to convert. The same applies to unions,” he maintained.
The dispute comes in the wake of NUPENG’s recent blockade of the Dangote refinery and shutdown of depots over disagreements on drivers’ unionisation.
Although the Federal Government intervened to secure a memorandum of understanding, tensions remain high despite a subsisting industrial court order restraining NUPENG from further disruptions.
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