Nigeria is bracing for fuel chaos as the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has joined forces with the oil workers’ union, NUPENG, threatening to cripple fuel supply across the country in a shocking showdown with Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
In a fiery statement on Sunday, PETROAN’s National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, announced a three-day suspension of fuel lifting and dispensing beginning Tuesday, warning of devastating consequences if government fails to act.
The move comes after NUPENG declared its members would down tools nationwide from Monday, September 8, in protest against what they blasted as “anti-union practices” tied to Dangote Refinery’s fleet of newly imported Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks.
The trucks, designed to cut logistics costs and distribute petroleum products directly to end users, have sparked fury in the industry. Critics accuse Dangote of plotting a monopoly that could wipe out depot owners, refinery operators, marketers, and truck drivers, plunging millions into unemployment.
“This is not competition, it’s economic strangulation!” thundered Gillis-Harry, insisting the strike would be peaceful but warning that no pump attendant should be sacked for joining.
Social media exploded with anger as news of the looming shutdown spread.
“First cement, now fuel? Dangote wants to own Nigeria!” fumed @NaijaSurvivor on X.
“We already can’t afford food. If they cut fuel, na finish be that,” wrote @ChiGirl234.
“Father Christmas promises don’t last forever!” blasted another user.
PETROAN cautioned Nigerians to remain vigilant, drawing chilling parallels with the cement industry, where prices skyrocketed after Dangote gained dominance. “Short-term gifts will lead to long-term pain,” Gillis-Harry warned.
The association has called on President Bola Tinubu, the petroleum minister, and security chiefs to urgently intervene to avert “untold hardship” for Nigerians already battered by inflation.
With petrol stations preparing to shut their pumps and a 120-man compliance squad set to enforce the strike, citizens fear the worst.
“This is fuel Armageddon,” one Lagos commuter told reporters. “If this strike goes ahead, the suffering will be unbearable.”
For now, the clock is ticking, and unless a miracle happens in Abuja, Nigerians could wake up Tuesday to dry pumps, skyrocketing black market prices, and another round of national chaos.
