The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has written to the management of Director Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical, DPRP, lbeju-Lekki, Lagos, dismissing a purported leadership crisis in the Union.

In a letter dated February 16, 2024, to the Group Executive Director of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical, General Secretary of NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale, the union urged the management of the refinery and Petrochemical not to allow mischief-makers create crisis to drag the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry, and most importantly, the nation’s long-anticipated beautiful bride of Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry into avoidable industrial crisis that will bring nothing but hardship to Nigerians.

In the letter copied Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Zone 2, Lagos, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, and the Director of State Security Service, DSS, Lagos Command, among others, the Union stated that NUPENG is one and indivisible Trade Union organization under the leadership of Comrade Prince Williams Akporeha as the National President and Comrade Afolabi Olawale as the General Secretary of the Union.

The letter reads “We write in response to certain media publication on your response to a purported letter from a Lawyer from Edoga Enenche and Co alleging that there is some sort of “division in the Union” and we want to firmly and strongly deny and denounce such situation in our Union.

“The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers is an indivisible Trade Union organization under the leadership of Comrade Prince Williams Akporeha as the National President and Comrade Afolabi Olawale as the General Secretary of the Union. For the records, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers is a credible and responsible Trade Union Organization duly registered and recognized under the Trade Union Act (As Amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with over 120 branches across the country and out of which the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch is one of them.

“Further for the records, the National Delegates’ Conference for the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, branch of the Union was successfully convened and conducted on the 31st n of October, 2O23 at the University of Ibadan Conference Centre in compliance with the Constitution of the Union and Bye-laws of the PTD branch, with 680 delegates from 170 units of the branch in attendance.

“These delegates freely and peacefully elected the current national leadership of the PTD branch of NUPENG under the Chairmanship of Comrade Augustine Egbon. This delegates’ conference was attended and certified by Mr. Amos Falonipe, the Registrar of Trade Union from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

“The conference was also attended and can be attested to by the President and the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (Othman Yusuf and Mr. Aloga Ogogo), representing NARTO, who are the direct employers of these PTDs.

“The content of that purported letter is not only mischievous but also unfounded, inciting, and capable of causing an industrial crisis in the Oil and Gas Industry most especially in the newly commissioned Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.

“Our claim of the absence of any form of crisis or division in the leadership of both NUPENG and PTD branch is and can be clearly seen in the effective, peaceful, and smooth distribution of Petroleum Products that are going on across the country even during the festive period in December 2023. Where then is the so-called crisis and division?

“We strongly implore all concerned authorities, most especially the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited not to allow those mischief makers pretending to be lawyers but hungrily looking for where to create a crisis for the sake of getting briefs to drag the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry, and most importantly, our long anticipated beautiful bride of Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry into an avoidable industrial crisis that will bring nothing but hardship to Nigerians.

The NUPENG is a very credible organization with a long history and tradition of democratic processes and values. We cherish our internal democracy, and we guide it with all our might.” (Vanguard)

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