The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has openly declared solidarity as NARTO backs NUPENG strike beginning Monday, September 8, 2025.
NARTO backs NUPENG strike against Dangote Refinery’s plan to introduce 4,000 CNG trucks, sidelining existing drivers and independent operators.
NARTO President Yusuf Lawal Othman said Dangote’s initiative would undermine thousands of transporters and destabilise Nigeria’s petroleum supply chain.
He explained that NARTO members operate 30,000 trucks nationwide, providing jobs for drivers, assistants, and countless supporting service workers.
Millions of dependants rely directly on these operations, sustained by loans from banks, global financiers, marketers, and depot owners.
Othman argued Dangote’s plan represents an intentional attempt to weaken independent transporters, describing the initiative as unsustainable and destructive.
He urged the federal government, regulators, and Dangote Group to establish dialogue guaranteeing fair competition within Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
Such dialogue must ensure independent operators survive, safeguard millions of livelihoods, and protect national security from disruptive petroleum distribution shortages.
NARTO stressed its struggle resists monopolistic practices threatening jobs and welfare, while supporting genuine investment capable of driving industrial growth.
Both unions warned Nigerians to expect fuel shortages nationwide beginning September 8, unless urgent dialogue immediately resolves the crisis.
