The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has directed all its affiliate unions to prepare for a nationwide strike against what it described as the Dangote Group’s systemic exploitation of workers and open disregard for Nigeria’s labour laws.
The order was issued in an internal memo signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero on September 29, 2025, warning that the era of “pleading and fruitless dialogue” with the conglomerate was over.
“The ongoing disputes with PENGASSAN and NUPENG are only symptoms of a deeper problem: a systemic anti-labour policy of union-busting, worker exploitation, and disregard for the rule of law that defines the Group’s industrial relations practices,” the memo stated.
“For too long, the Dangote Group has operated like a state within a state, flouting Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, violating ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and treating our labour laws with contempt,” it added.
The NLC accused the company of turning its facilities into “plantations of exploitation where workers’ dignity is deliberately crushed in pursuit of profit for a few.”
“All affiliate unions are hereby placed on immediate and full alert, begin vigorous and comprehensive unionisation of all workers within Dangote facilities under your jurisdiction,” the directive continued.
The union demanded unconditional respect for workers’ right to freely join unions, an end to intimidation and union-busting, and full compliance with Nigerian labour laws.
“To enforce the directive, each affiliate union has been instructed to immediately set up an Action Mobilisation Committee and liaise with the NLC National Secretariat within 72 hours to coordinate strategy, logistics, and communication,” the memo said.
The Congress alleged that regulatory authorities had failed to rein in the conglomerate’s excesses, accusing the Tinubu government of looking the other way.
“The impunity of the Dangote Group must be met with the collective resistance of organised labour,” Ajaero wrote. “No amount of propaganda or paid agents will stop us from defending workers’ rights, especially in the face of regulatory capture, where the state appears to have abdicated its duty to hold this conglomerate accountable.”
He concluded with a warning: “The blood and sweat of Nigerian workers built the Dangote empire; we will not allow it to become a monument to their oppression. Together we stand! Together, we will overcome!”
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