The Department of State Services (DSS) has stepped in to mediate the escalating face-off between Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) over allegations of a breached labour pact.

The security agency has summoned both parties to an emergency meeting in Abuja today (Friday), alongside representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other key stakeholders.

The tension began after Dangote management and NUPENG signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 9, 2025, at the DSS Headquarters. The agreement guaranteed workers the freedom to join any union of their choice without interference.

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However, less than 24 hours after the signing, NUPENG accused the Dangote Group of violating the pact — an allegation the company denied. The refinery has since maintained that union membership remains voluntary in line with Nigerian laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards.

In a strongly worded statement, NUPENG leaders Prince Williams Akporeha (President) and Afolabi Olawale (General Secretary) accused Dangote of trying to “crush the union” and create divisions within the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch. They also alleged that management ordered the removal of NUPENG stickers from trucks and attempted to replace them with those of a newly formed Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), which the union claims was created to weaken their influence.

The union further accused the company of a long-standing resistance to unionisation across its operations, including its cement and sugar plants.

With the DSS now directly involved, labour watchers are keen to see whether today’s meeting will calm tensions or deepen the standoff between Africa’s biggest refinery and one of Nigeria’s strongest unions.