September 16, (THEWILL) — The chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has refuted allegations by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) that his Petroleum Refinery is treating its workers harshly and limiting job opportunities.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday, Dangote said the refinery’s truck drivers have several financial aid schemes put in place for them by the company, and the best remuneration is enjoyed by the drivers, compared to NUPENG.
“Our drivers earn four times their own or our own after five years with few accidents, and a driver can apply. Since you are driving a hazardous post. You can apply for and get a house loan. Our drivers earn more than graduates. If you look at what they earn a month, almost four times minimum wage”, Dangote explained.
Dangote narrated that due to a lack of available trucks, the company faced significant risks when loading vehicles provided by NUPENG.
“When you got here, I’m sure my people took you around and showed you some of the trucks. And please go and ask anybody, it is not every truck we load here because of the silencer, as the whole place can catch fire, but we have to manage when they bring some because we don’t have trucks. I can assure you that by the time we load Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the volume will crash because the trucks are not there. They are talking about 30,000 tankers, which is not true. Nobody has 30,000 tankers.
“Nobody will lose any job, any of their drivers who don’t have a job are welcome to join us”, Dangote said.
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