Dangote bought 4000 CNG trucks and said his drivers would not be allowed to join NUPENG. The decision to buy his own trucks was existential. He wanted to avoid a scenario where marketers might boycott his products one day. Without his own trucks, Dangote would be sunk under such scenario. Direct supply to filling station is a survival decision.
Dangote was right in his own way to refuse his trucks to join NUPENG under our laws that guaranteed right of association. He can choose not join NUPENG. But the drivers are also right under the same law to join a union. That is the problem. Both are right in their own way.
Why Dangote does not want his trucks to operate under NUPENG is a matter of corporate survival. He did not want to commit class and economic suicide.NUPENG is notorious for activities that could strangulate Dangote operations,it has the capacity to frustrate Dangote Refinery if its selfish desires are not met.
And why is NUPENG protesting and threatening to go on strike? It is still selfish interests of NUPENG leaders. For every liter loaded, NUPENG collects N1 as loading fee. NUPENG collects that fee in every depot in Nigeria. Take a calculator and find out how much NUPENG gets every day in Nigeria,and the money goes to the leadership alone. NUPENG does not patch roads,does not have towing vehicles or fire fighting equipments to assist its members. NUPENG does not operate charity organization. The money is swallowed by its leaders alone. Check NUPENG leaders and you will a person owing 300 trucks of his own. If there is election NUPENG donates billions to politicians.
Now the Dangote Refinery produces 57 million liters of petrol daily, and another 104 million liters of different petroleum products including jet fuel and diesel. NUPENG stands to lose 161 daily a total of 4.8 billion Naira if it loses the fight against Dangote. You can now understand why NUPENG leaders are singing war songs. It is not about driver’s welfare or Nigeria’s energy security. Remember for every petrol you buy,N1 goes to these economic wreckers.
Can Dangote win? The answer is no. NUPENG has fought and won battles with government. Only Abacha was able to deal with NUPENG decisively. He sacked its leaders and used military trucks driven by military drivers to supply products. But Abacha died and NUPENG was back.
– Nuhu Aliyu
Public Affairs Analyst