Nigeria will not experience a petrol shortage despite an ongoing strike by fuel-tanker drivers, the Dangote Refinery has said.

Company spokesman Anthony Chiejina told reporters that operations are continuing and that talks are underway with union leaders and government officials to resolve the dispute.

The strike, which began on Monday, follows the refinery’s push to build its own in-house haulage capacity by recruiting drivers to deliver petrol directly to filling stations.

The move has unsettled a long-entrenched transport market dominated by more than 20,000 diesel-powered tankers and has drawn support for the walkout from labour allies at home and abroad.

Union leaders allege that new drivers hired by the refinery are being pressured to avoid joining unions. NUPENG president Williams Akporeha argued that the company is unwilling to accommodate organised labour, telling a local broadcaster that workers “should have a say” in their employment.

Dangote rejects the accusation as “cheap blackmail,” insisting there is no policy, past or present,that bars workers from union membership.

The refinery, Africa’s largest with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, began operations last year and has since reset Nigeria’s downstream landscape. Before its launch, the country imported most of its petrol despite being a major crude producer, a paradox often blamed on the neglect of government-owned refineries. 

Supporters say the new plant has helped pull pump prices lower and injected competition into a sector marred by inefficiency, while critics warn about the risks of market dominance by a single, powerful player.

In August, the refinery announced plans to deploy thousands of compressed-natural-gas-powered trucks to distribute petrol nationwide, part of a strategy to cut costs and emissions. That rollout has faced logistical delays, further heightening tensions with existing tanker operators who fear being sidelined.

As negotiations continue, consumer anxiety about queues remains high. For now, the refinery maintains that supply is steady, loading is ongoing, and retail stations should not see shortages linked to the strike.

The outcome of the talks, particularly around union rights and the company’s distribution model, will determine whether the current standoff cools or spreads to other parts of the fuel supply chain.