Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the Federal Government to stop Dangote Refinery from restricting workers’ union rights.
He backed NUPENG’s planned strike, describing the company’s policy as unconstitutional and unlawful.
Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has asked the Federal Government to intervene in the alleged plan by Dangote Petroleum Refinery to compel newly employed drivers to sign documents barring them from joining unions in the oil and gas sector.
The National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG) had earlier directed its members in the industry to begin an indefinite strike on Monday, September 9, 2025, in protest of the move.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Falana described the refinery’s policy as unlawful, insisting it contradicts Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, the Trade Union Act, and Article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which Nigeria has domesticated.
He explained that the action also breaches International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98, along with several United Nations treaties guaranteeing the right to organize and bargain collectively.
“The government is under a constitutional and international obligation to protect workers’ right to freedom of association. The Registrar of Trade Unions must call Dangote Petroleum Refinery to order immediately. At the same time, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission should stop the group’s monopolistic practices, which are clearly against the 2018 FCCPA,” Falana said.
He added that while strong unions exist in major capitalist nations like the United States and the United Kingdom, Dangote appears intent on weakening organized labour in Nigeria.
“The company must be reminded that Nigerian workers won the right to unionize during colonial rule. For this reason, we fully support NUPENG’s strike action against a policy that seeks to strip workers of their fundamental rights,” he concluded.
