Emmanuel Ochayi
The leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has been accused of disobeying a restraining court order, allowing a factional group to illegally collect dues and levies from tanker drivers at the Dangote refinery in Lagos.
According to Comrade (Alhaji) Tajudeen Abubakar, a leader in the Kaduna Zone of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG, this action is contemptuous and will have severe consequences for the organization.
Abubakar stated that despite the National Industrial Court’s restraining order, the General Secretary of NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale, has allowed his surrogates in the factional PTD to commence collection of dues and levies, which is illegal.
He emphasized that no higher court has set aside the restraining order, and the judgments are still valid and binding on all parties.
Abubakar In a statement he issued in Kaduna Tuesday morning accused the illegitimate executives of PTD, who emerged from a disputed election, of ignoring court rulings and engaging in illegal activities.
“It is pertinent to note that no higher Court in Nigeria has set aside the restraining order of the National Industrial Court. Neither has the execution of the judgments been stayed or varied either by the Federal High Court or the Court of Appeal. Therefore, since the judgments are valid and subsisting, they are binding on all parties including NUPENG, its General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, etc. We also expected the illegitimate executives of PTD which emerged in a kangaroo election at the University of Ibadan auditorium on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, to be guided by the court rulings too, to avoid any legal infractions.” he said
He called on NUPENG to reverse the illegal PTD unit at the Dangote refinery and urged anti-graft agencies to investigate and prosecute anyone found wanting. If NUPENG fails to reverse its decisions, Abubakar warned that it would spell doom for the organization and its General Secretary, who is already facing contempt proceedings.
“In view of the foregoing, it is crystal clear that the collection of union dues and levies between seventy thousand naira (N70,000) to seventy-five thousand naira (N75,000) from Tanker Drivers who are lifting petroleum products at the Dangote refinery despite restraining Court order is deliberately illegal and contemptuous.
“Such actions can not be justified in a democratic society that claims to operate under the rule of law, on behalf of the elders of the union, I am compelled to call on the leaders of our parent body, NUPENG to immediately discard and reverse the scandalous and illegal PTD unit planted at the Dangote refinery in Lagos. We also call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other anti-graft agencies, including Police, and DSS to look into the financial records of PTD in that unit and endeavor to expose and prosecute anyone found wanting.
Moreover, Abubakar urged tanker drivers to remain committed, disciplined, and law-abiding, assuring them of victory shortly.
“On this note, while we rely on the judiciary for justice, we also urge all Tanker Drivers across Nigeria to remain committed, disciplined, and law-abiding as they traverse the length and breadth of Nigeria in the lifting and distribution of petroleum products, just as we assure them of victory in no distant time.”
The situation highlights the ongoing leadership crisis and internal conflicts within NUPENG, which could have implications for the organization’s operations and the petroleum industry as a whole.
