The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has declared a nationwide strike against the Dangote Group, accusing the conglomerate of systematically undermining workers’ rights and violating Nigeria’s labour laws. In a memo signed by its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on September 29, 2025, the Congress instructed all affiliate unions to immediately mobilize members, set up Action Mobilisation Committees, and prepare resources for what it described as a “decisive, collective engagement” against the company.
According to the directive, the labour movement has run out of patience after what it called years of “fruitless dialogue” with the Dangote Group. Ajaero maintained that the disputes currently involving PENGASSAN and NUPENG represent only a fraction of a larger crisis rooted in the conglomerate’s “systemic anti-labour policy of union-busting, exploitation, and outright disregard for the rule of law.” The memo accused the company of acting as a “state within a state,” routinely flouting Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, violating International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98, and treating the country’s labour laws with contempt.
The NLC said Dangote’s facilities had effectively become “plantations of exploitation,” where workers’ dignity was crushed in the pursuit of profit. The union insisted that unconditional respect for workers’ right to unionize, an immediate end to intimidation and victimisation, and full compliance with Nigerian labour laws were non-negotiable demands. It directed all affiliates to intensify unionisation within Dangote-owned facilities and liaise with the NLC national secretariat within 72 hours to coordinate strategy, logistics, and communication.
In a strongly worded statement, the Congress accused the company of operating with impunity, emboldened by regulatory failures and state inaction. “The impunity of the Dangote Group must be met with the collective resistance of organised labour. No amount of propaganda or paid agents will stop us from defending workers’ rights,” the memo read. It further alleged that state institutions had succumbed to regulatory capture, leaving workers exposed to unchecked corporate power.
The NLC vowed to resist what it described as “deliberate anti-worker crusades” and warned that the wealth of the Dangote empire had been built on the blood and sweat of Nigerian workers, which it would not allow to become a “monument of oppression.” With unions now fully mobilised, the stage is set for an industrial showdown that could disrupt key sectors of the economy, including energy, transport, and manufacturing.
“Together we stand, together we will overcome,” the NLC declared, calling for unity of purpose among all workers ahead of the strike.
