By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Nigeria may begin to experience fuel scarcity from today (Monday) unless the federal government resolves the industrial dispute between the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Refinery.
The tanker drivers declared a strike over Dangote Refinery’s plan to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution, bypassing existing tanker drivers. The initiative, according to NUPENG, threatens thousands of jobs and violates the right of workers to unionize.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed on Sunday that his ministry had invited all parties to a conciliation meeting in Abuja.
He appealed to NUPENG to shelve its planned nationwide strike, urging the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to also withdraw its “red alert” to affiliate unions.
“I plead with the unions to give peace a chance. I assure them that this matter will be resolved amicably,” Dingyadi said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Patience Onuobia.
Sources within NUPENG hinted that the strike might be suspended pending the outcome of the meeting. “In reverence to the intervention of government, we are putting the strike on hold to listen, with the hope that positive developments will come out,” a union insider told Daily Trust.