A Dangote refinery spokesman, Anthony Chiejina, has said that the nation would not experience any petrol shortage despite an ongoing strike by a union representing fuel tanker drivers. The strike, which started on Monday and has been supported by other unions in Nigeria and abroad, was triggered by Dangote Group’s decision to hire its own drivers to deliver gasoline to retailers.
Speaking to AFP, a spokesman for the company said, “There is no fuel shortage, everything is going on,” adding that talks are ongoing between the union, the government and the company.
Before Dangote Refinery’s launch in 2024, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels on a daily basis, Nigeria had to import almost all of its fuel despite being a major oil producer.
Critics blamed many years of neglect and mismanagement of government-owned refineries for the sad reality.
To make life easier for the citizens, Dangote Group drove down prices of petrol for consumers while also shaking up long-entrenched players in Nigeria’s oil sector, marred by many years of damaging corruption.
However, the company’s decisions also sparked monopoly fears as the refinery quickly became a powerful player backed by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
Denying the claim that Dangote Group’s drivers are not being allowed to join a union, Anthony Chiejina described the report as “cheap blackmail.”
He concluded by saying that the allegation is false, stressing that the company does not plan to restrict its drivers from joining any union of their choosing.
“It’s not true… nobody has done that and nobody has ever,” he added.
