By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
One of the prominent elders in Warri Zone of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Blessing Dafinone has accused the General Secretary of the parent body, Afolabi Olawale of destroying the legacies which the forebears of the foremost union built when they were in the leadership saddle.
Dafinone made the remarks on Monday while speaking to members of the union who paid her a courtesy visit at Eko hotel in Lagos before returning back to her base in Delta State.
The union leader also maintained that members and staff of NUPENG are weeping because Mr. Olawale has destroyed the fabric of the union’s unity and growth.
She said, “NUPENG is loaded with man power potentials across board and we are respected for our hard work and intelligence. Such potentials will amount to nothing when not harnessed to effectively bring out greatness for our cherished staff at various zones and the National secretariat of our union.
“The leaders of NUPENG particularly the President, General Secretary and Trustee must show good example by reaching out to all aggrieved individuals across the branches particularly PTD, the preferred choice of the people are Comrade Lucky Osesua, Dayyabu Garga, Humble Obinna Power, Olabisi Akinlolu and others. By imposing Augustine Egbon on them as PTD national Chairman, through a Kangaroo election contrary to the order given by the National Industrial Court which clearly stated the delegates conference should be nondiscriminatory, all-inclusive and transparent, etc. It is regrettable that members and staff of NUPENG are weeping because Mr. Olawale Afolabi has destroyed the fabric of the union’s unity and growth.
“You can never fault the legacies of late Comrade Frank Kokori, he did so well for NUPENG and Nigeria at large and posterity will continue to be kind to him. He was a thoroughbred democrat and activist. He fought for democracy at a great personal cost. He surrendered his liberty to fight for truth and justice. He was the finest among reformers and champions of civil rights in Nigeria.
“We can’t also forget veterans like Comrade Joseph Akinlaja, Comrade Elijah Okuogbo, Comrade Peter Akpatasan, Comrade Igwe Achese and so on. They all wrote their names in gold. Today, unfortunately, NUPENG now has one man, Afolabi Olawale, who.came to our union, took away the peaceful coexistence rooted in humility, integrity, good name, symbiotic relationship, selfless service and hard work. This is a big shame but the man responsible for this seems to be shameless.
“Today what we read about NUPENG on the internet and in the pages of newspapers are very unpleasant and disgusting and every accusing finger is directed at one man, having displayed high handedness and horrific shenanigans in the union affairs; that person is Afolabi Olawale. He practically turned NUPENG to his personal estate. It is unbelievable that NUPENG is no longer producing its legacy magazine, Energy News.
“We also learnt that the President and General Secretary have both moved in to the new secretariat in Jibowu, known as NUPENG tower, without any official notice, and it’s even strange to know that some senior staff are not allowed to the multi-billion naira edifice, which is a waste of money to money. It is high time we called on all the leaders and veterans of NUPENG to collectively come together and resolve the embarrassing and lingering problems of our union before it is too late.”