Nigerian oil workers strike

Nigerian oil workers stopped loading oil products, natural gas and aviation fuel Monday as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) joined a nationwide United Labour Congress of Nigeria strike.

NUPENG demanded recognition for the United Labor Congress as well as better pay and conditions.

The federal government scheduled a meeting with the union Tuesday to find a resolution. 

“We are part of the ULC and we are on strike since morning. There is no loading at depots nationwide. We voted the government into power and let us join hands together to talk to them when it is appropriate,” the southwest chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, said.

The strike has led to the shutdown of fuel depots in Apapa, Lagos and other cities and could threaten fuel supplies if the stocks at service stations run out. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has asked the public not to stockpile fuel, stating it had sufficient reserves to supply the country for several weeks.