Health Minister Warns NUPENG Strike Could Cripple Hospitals

Minister of State for Health, Isaq Salako, has cautioned that the planned nationwide strike by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) could severely disrupt hospital operations across the country, given their heavy reliance on fuel-powered generators.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Salako said:

“A strike by NUPENG will obviously affect the health sector because, as it is today, our hospitals are 65 to 80 per cent dependent on diesel and petrol generators. So, if there is a strike, it will also have an adverse effect on the health sector, and you obviously don’t want that.”

He appealed to both parties in the dispute to “allow reason to prevail,” stressing that the interests of ordinary Nigerians must remain central in the ongoing negotiations.

NUPENG had last week announced that its members would down tools from September 8, 2025, in protest against alleged attempts by the Dangote Refinery to stop its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining labour unions. While the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) dissociated themselves from the strike, NUPENG reaffirmed its decision to proceed.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, in a separate statement, appealed to the union to suspend the strike, warning of the dire economic consequences. He disclosed that all parties had been invited to a conciliation meeting on Monday, September 8, urging the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to also withdraw its red alert issued to affiliate unions.

“The petroleum sector is very important to this country. It constitutes the core of the economy. A strike, even for just a day, will have an adverse impact, leading to heavy revenue losses running into billions of naira and causing untold hardship for Nigerians,” Dingyadi said.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has thrown his weight behind NUPENG, arguing that the Dangote Group’s policy contravenes Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Union Act, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and various International Labour Organisation conventions that guarantee workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The looming strike has heightened tensions nationwide, with stakeholders warning that disruptions in fuel supply could paralyse critical sectors, especially healthcare and transportation.