A spokesperson for Nigeria's Dangote refinery said on Tuesday that the country would not see a petrol shortage despite an ongoing strike by a union representing fuel tanker drivers.

The strike, which began on Monday and has since drawn support from other unions in Nigeria and abroad, comes as the refinery, the largest in Africa, is hiring its own drivers to deliver petrol to retailers.

"There is no fuel shortage, everything is going on," a refinery spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, told AFP, adding that talks were continuing between the union, the government and the company.

Before last year's opening of the Dangote refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, Nigeria had to import almost all its petrol.

Union's grievances

Last month, the refinery was set to deploy a fleet of thousands of trucks powered by compressed natural gas to distribute its petrol nationwide, an initiative that has been delayed due to logistics issues.

But the plans have roiled a market where more than 20,000 diesel-powered tankers have operated for decades.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) launched its strike on Monday, alleging that Dangote's new drivers were being hired on the condition they do not join the union – allegations disputed by Dangote.

NUPENG has seen support pour in from local organisations including the Nigeria Labour Congress as well as groups from abroad.

Chiejina, the Dangote spokesperson, denied the claim that its drivers were not being allowed to join a union. "It's not true... nobody has done that and nobody has ever," he said.