The National President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, confirmed the development, stating that the Dangote refinery team, led by Sayyu Dantata, agreed to unionise its drivers following intervention by the Department of State Services (DSS).
“We have suspended the strike. The Dangote refinery has agreed to unionise its drivers. We signed an agreement,” Akporeha told our correspondent in a telephone conversation.
The strike, which began on Monday, had disrupted fuel supply nationwide as tanker drivers refused to load products over concerns that Dangote refinery was planning to bar its 4,000 truck drivers from joining NUPENG.
Despite earlier appeals from the Federal Government, compliance with the strike directive was total. Several depots across Lagos, Warri, and other cities were shut down, while filling stations in different states also closed operations. The Aradel refinery in Obele, Port Harcourt, and the Kwale Hydrocarbon facility in Delta State were also affected.
The crisis, which raised fears of prolonged fuel scarcity, was resolved after the DSS mediated talks between both parties. The union confirmed that loading activities would resume following the agreement.
The suspension of the strike is expected to bring relief to Nigerians who had already begun to feel the impact of fuel shortages in parts of the country.
