The National Industrial Court, Abuja, has granted an interim injunction restraining the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association from embarking on any industrial action or compelling other truck drivers to participate.
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Justice E.D. Subilim delivered the ruling on Wednesday, following an ex parte motion filed by the refinery’s lawyer, George Ibrahim SAN, who argued that the union’s planned strike could cause irreparable damage to Dangote Refinery’s operations.
The court also barred NUPENG and the Drivers Association from blocking roads or obstructing the operations of Dangote Refinery, MRS Oil Nigeria Limited, and MRS Oil and Gas Company Limited. The restraining orders will remain in effect for seven days, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
Ibrahim had sought the injunction to prevent the unions from crippling, shutting down, or frustrating the refinery’s business activities. He argued that NUPENG’s actions contravene Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and association, as well as Section 12(4) of the Trade Union Act.
In an affidavit, Ahmed Hashem, Group General Manager of Government and Strategic Relations at the refinery, gave an undertaking as to damages should the court later find the injunction unwarranted. Justice Subilim ruled that the balance of convenience favored the applicants, noting the potential for serious harm if the restraining orders were not granted.
The judge also directed that the applicants serve the respondents with the Motion on Notice within seven days and ordered that the case file be remitted to the President of the National Industrial Court for reassignment to another judge to hear the substantive case.
Dangote Refinery, in a press statement, emphasized that it respects unionism and workers’ rights to join or not join a union. The company urged the unions to respect these principles to ensure peaceful industrial relations in the oil and gas sector.
The dispute follows allegations by NUPENG that, despite a suspension of its nationwide strike, Dangote Refinery drivers were instructed to remove union stickers from trucks and continue operations, violating agreed protocols. The union also claimed that refinery officials attempted to intimidate its members.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery rejected claims of monopolistic practices, noting that more than 30 other private refinery licenses have been issued, with active developments by BUA, Aradel, and Walter Smith.
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