“Drivers Earn Above Graduates”
By NINI NDUONOFIT-AKOH
ALIKO Dangote, Africa’s richest man and chairman of the Dangote Group, has defended his company’s employment practices, saying his truck drivers earn more than many Nigerian graduates.
The billionaire was reacting to allegations by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which accused him and fellow businessman Sayyu Dantata of anti-union practices and attempts to dominate petroleum distribution. NUPENG had threatened a nationwide strike over claims that Dangote’s new fleet of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks was undermining workers’ rights.
In a video shared on Tuesday, Dangote dismissed the accusations, stressing that joining a union must be voluntary. He said his company’s drivers earn three to four times the national minimum wage, with some making more than degree holders.
“These trucks will create 24,000 jobs. Every truck employs about six people. After five years of safe driving, our drivers can even apply for housing loans,” he said.
Dangote maintained that the trucks were not designed to displace existing tanker operators but to boost efficiency and job creation in the oil and gas sector.
