Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has reaffirmed that Nigerian workers have a lawful right to form unions and engage in strikes.
He made this known on Monday, the 13th of October, 2025, during an interview on Arise Television, where he also criticised ongoing efforts to discredit labour unions, describing such moves as “legally baseless and morally irresponsible.”
Falana stressed that both the Nigerian Constitution and international labour conventions protect workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining.
“Unionisation is allowed by law under Section 40 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association. Nigeria is also bound by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which recognise the rights to unionisation and collective bargaining,” he said.
His remarks come amid tensions between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery management over alleged anti-labour practices.
The union had accused the refinery of dismissing and redeploying employees who joined PENGASSAN, and of refusing to acknowledge the union as a legitimate workers’ body within the company.
The standoff, which triggered a nationwide strike threat by oil workers, was later eased after federal authorities, including Labour Minister Muhammadu Dingyadi and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, intervened to suspend the action.
Reacting to the development, Falana faulted both the government and employers for neglecting established labour standards.
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“The two strikes were avoidable. When workers are forced to strike over issues that were settled since the colonial era, then the blame lies with the government,” he said.
He rejected suggestions that oil and gas unions were undermining national security, stating that organised labour has long been a cornerstone of Nigeria’s social and political history.
Addressing the mass dismissal of oil workers, Falana explained that the real problem stemmed from workplace injustice rather than union membership.
“What happened was that some workers were sacked and redeployed to other units. By law, once you are a junior employee, you are automatically entitled to union representation,” he explained.