NLC Gives Reasons For Declares War With Nationwide Shutdown Threat

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has ordered its affiliate unions to begin full mobilisation for a nationwide strike against the Dangote Group.

The directive, contained in an internal memo signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on September 29, 2025, accused Dangote of waging a “deliberate anti-worker crusade” and disregarding Nigeria’s labour laws. Ajaero stressed that the era of “pleading and fruitless dialogue” with the conglomerate was over, insisting that it was now time for “decisive, collective action.”

According to the memo, the ongoing disputes with PENGASSAN and NUPENG were only “symptoms of a deeper rot” — a systemic pattern of union-busting, exploitation, and contempt for the rule of law that has defined the company’s labour practices.

“The Dangote Group has long acted like a state within a state,” the memo read, accusing the conglomerate of flouting Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, violating ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and turning workplaces into “plantations of exploitation where workers’ dignity is crushed for profit.”

The NLC demanded immediate respect for workers’ rights to unionise, an end to intimidation and victimisation, and full compliance with labour laws. Affiliate unions were instructed to establish Action Mobilisation Committees within 72 hours and coordinate strategy with the NLC Secretariat.

“The impunity of the Dangote Group must be met with the collective resistance of organised labour,” the memo declared, warning that propaganda or regulatory inaction would not deter workers from defending their rights.

Concluding, the Congress said: “The blood and sweat of Nigerian workers built the Dangote empire. We will not allow it to become a monument of oppression. Together we stand. Together, we will overcome.”