The agreement between the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has collapsed, and here’s why.

The confrontation follows allegations by NUPENG that the Dangote Group reneged on a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this week, under which the refinery agreed to allow tanker drivers and other workers to freely unionise.

On Thursday, NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, accused Sayyu Aliu Dantata, a cousin of Aliko Dangote and key player in the refinery’s trucking operations, of defying the resolution reached on September 9 at the Department of State Services headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting, mediated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, affirmed the rights of Petroleum Tanker Drivers under NUPENG to unionise. Representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, DSS, and other agencies witnessed the signing of the MoU.

But Akporeha alleged that within 48 hours, Dantata ordered drivers to strip NUPENG stickers from their vehicles and forcefully enter the refinery in violation of union loading procedures.

“Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata flew over them several times with his helicopter and then called the navy of the Federal Republic to come over ostensibly to crush the union officials. Our members are waiting for him and his agents to run them over,” Akporeha said in a statement.

The union condemned what it described as Dantata’s “impunity” and warned the Federal Government not to allow security agencies funded by taxpayers to be used against workers.

Global digital service providers like Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix paid more than N600 billion Value Added Tax to the Nigerian government.

The Special Adviser on Tax Policy to the Chairman of the Tax Reforms Committee, Mr Mathew Osanekwu, disclosed this during a workshop for media practitioners in Abuja on Wednesday.

He explained that amendments to the VAT Act had empowered the Federal Inland Revenue Service to bring non-resident companies offering services in Nigeria into the tax net.

“These are not Nigerian entities, but they are now paying VAT under Section 10 of the VAT Act.

They are registered in Nigeria and are also appointed as agents of collection,” Osanekwu stated during a workshop for media practitioners in Abuja on Wednesday.

He stressed that the move aligns with global best practices and ensures Nigeria benefits from taxes on services consumed locally but delivered by foreign companies.

• President Bola Tinubu

The Federal Government has published Nigeria’s new tax reform laws in the official gazette following President Bola Tinubu’s assent on June 26.

The announcement was contained in a statement signed by the Personal Assistant on Special Duties to the President, Kamorudeen Yusuf, on Wednesday.

The reforms introduce four legislations: the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act 2025.

The gazette stated, “Small businesses with turnover under ₦100m and assets below ₦250m are exempted from corporate tax.

“Corporate tax rate for large firms may be cut from 30% to 25% at the President’s discretion.

“Top-up tax thresholds: ₦50bn (local firms) and €750m (multinationals).“5% annual tax credit was introduced for eligible priority-sector projects.

“Companies transacting in foreign currency may now pay taxes in naira at official exchange rates.”The Nigeria Tax Act and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act will take effect from January 1, 2026, while the Nigeria Revenue Service Act and the Joint Revenue Board Act became effective from June 26.

“These reforms aim to simplify Nigeria’s tax system, support small businesses, attract investment, and strengthen fiscal stability, aligning with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to diversify revenue away from oil,” said the statement.