By EMMANUELLA ANOKAM

The Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) has accused the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) of extortion and excessive levies collection within the downstream sector.

Alhaji Lawal Dan-zaki, National President, ADITOP, made the accusation in a statement on Monday in Abuja, while reacting to the purported strike by NUPENG.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NUPENG is protesting what it termed “anti-labour practices” by Dangote Refinery.

It condemned the refinery s position that its drivers, recruited to operate its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks, would not be allowed to join trade unions.

NUPENG had warned of an imminent nationwide fuel scarcity, following its directive to its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) arm to stop loading petroleum products from depots beginning from Monday.

Dan-zaki, who dissociated ADITOP from the purported strike, said that the association was primarily formed to checkmate the excesses of NUPENG, Petroleum Tanker Drivers and multiple illegal levy collectors operating under NUPENG.

He said that the unions disrupted the supply and distribution chain by holding tanker owners to ransom, imposing excessive levies on them, extorting the drivers, and whenever they arequestioned, embark on nationwide strikes.

“NUPENG, PTD and many other unions and associations hiding under the NUPENG umbrella, extort ADITOP members and depot owners one Naira per litre of every product loaded in a depot.

Additionally, NUPENG, through PTD, collects an additional one Naira per litre of loaded product by any marketer. This is in addition to loading charges of N80, 000 to N100, 000 per truck.

“This is outright extortion and economic sabotage, by NUPENG, PTD and their affiliated unions and associations,’’ he said.

He said that in the past five years, the association had written multiple petitions to various government agencies complaining about NUPENG’s extortion and illegal activities within the downstream sector.

These petitions, he said had been adjudicated by the Inspector-General of Police, Department of State Security Services, National Security Advisor and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Dan-zaki said that NUPENG fed on these extortion, while remitting zero taxes to the Federal Government.

He urged the Federal Government to support the Dangote Group against the antics of the unions. (NAN)