The Department of State Services (DSS) has summoned the management of Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to a meeting in Abuja following fresh tensions over a labour agreement.

The talks, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, will also include representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other key stakeholders, according to sources.

The development comes barely three days after both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the DSS headquarters, granting workers at the refinery the right to join any union of their choice. The deal was signed in the presence of government officials, ministers, and labour leaders.

However, less than 24 hours later, NUPENG accused Dangote of violating the pact—an allegation the company swiftly denied. On Thursday, the union renewed its accusations, claiming the refinery had misrepresented facts about workers’ rights and its relationship with NUPENG.

In a joint statement, NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale alleged that Dangote Refinery directed the removal of NUPENG stickers from trucks and replaced them with those of the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), a body the union claims was set up by the refinery’s management.

NUPENG said the move was aimed at weakening its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) unit, limiting competition, and positioning the company to control fuel prices.

The union further warned Nigerians not to be deceived by what it described as Dangote’s “misleading” offer of free nationwide fuel delivery, insisting that the strategy was designed to edge out unionised drivers and tighten the company’s hold on fuel distribution.