By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

An elder from the Port Harcourt Zone of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG, Comrade Joseph Dagogo-Jack (JP) has flayed the leadership of NUPENG for cautioning stakeholders in the Petroleum industry not to accord recognition to Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) who is set to hold a very crucial meeting on Thursday, October 31, 2024 with the petroleum marketers and other key stakeholders in the industry.

Elder Dagogo-Jack who spoke to some selected journalists in Calabar, Cross River State Wednesday night added that NUPENG acted ignorantly, having failed to understand the letters of the constitution of the land which clearly gave the right and privileges to all Nigerians to freely and willingly associate without fear of intimidation, harassment, or victimization.

Comrades Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale, President and General Secretary, respectively of NUPENG had earlier on Wednesday issued a statement to newsmen in Abuja notifying the public about the latest development in the petroleum downstream sector and the potential threat it could have on its numerical strength.

Dagogo-Jack stated that lack of competent leaders have caused the Union many pains and has depleted the membership of the union. He further cited many court cases as bane of progress in PTD, while also urging NUPENG to embrace reconciliation and unite all aggrieved members. He said if that was done no Association can stand as a threat to the union under any guise.

“One wonders why NUPENG especially the General Secretary, and the President, Afolabi Olawale and Williams Akporeha have suddenly become so destabilized and jittery, having got the information that ADITOP will be meeting with petroleum marketers and other key stakeholders in the industry on Thursday, to the extent that they had to issue a statement notifying industry stakeholders not to be associated with them.

“This is not only laughable but also ridiculous. But of course, for lack of knowledge, and gross incompetence it will be quick for them to say NUPENG and its sister Union PENGASSAN are the umbrella bodies for Oil and Gas Workers in Nigeria that represent and protect the interests of the Nigerian oil and Gas workers including Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD). NUPENG has forgotten that the constitution of Nigeria clearly bestows on the citizens the rights and privileges to freely and willingly associate without fear of intimidation, harassment, or victimization.

“Regrettably, the PTD Branch of NUPENG, which is the goose that lays the golden egg, has multiple cases in court. We have cases that are on internal issues aside from election and pre-election matters in all courts; Federal High Courts to National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), to Court of Appeal. When a Union is in crisis, it will find it difficult to be on the pathway of peace, progress and prosperity. The Union that succeeds is the one that can manage its affairs, avoid crisis, and be united at all times without cracks or division. You need that unity to get the best of your members along with the leadership to drive your agenda, purposes and objectives. Nobody will invest in a crisis-laden trade union; that would apparently amount to a waste of time, energy, and resources.

“When a Union is in crisis, things don’t augur well at all, and no serious-minded industry player will ever want to associate with such union and that is the limitation and challenge PTD and NUPENG are facing at the moment. The PTD as currently constituted can best be described as an empty shell divided into pieces. To reposition itself, the PTD has to put in place effective leadership. A Union or association without a responsible, committed and competent leaders that can weather the storms should be shown the way out. So, the right and effective leadership has to be put in place as quickly as possible. The leadership has to work in synergy and be united. When they have that united leadership, then the PTD can build up all the other structures of the Branch in a most acceptable and legitimate manner at Unit, Zonal and National levels.

“However the only move to be initiated by the leadership of NUPENG that will significantly help the Union to restore back its lost glory and dignity is for the General Secretary, Olawale Afolabi and the President, Williams Akporeha to drop all cases in court and create room for reconciliation, unite every aggrieved member and ultimately bestore leadership legitimacy of Comrade Lucky Osesua, Comrade Dayyabu Garga, Comrade (Chief) Peter Moudebelu (Onwa), Comrade Dr Humble Obinna Power and others in line with the extant rules of the Union.

“This will undoubtedly restore sanity back to the Union and foster progress and prosperity. It will also restore confidence wherein the parent Union will have no reason to doubt the loyalty of its executives or to insinuate they may want to pitch their tent with another Union, for example ADITOP. If members of PTD across the four zones of the Branch see that Osesua and his team are back, then the Union will come back to its full potential as a formidable and indomitable trade union with capacity, wit and force.

“The Federal Government, Law enforcement agencies, industry stakeholders are all watching NUPENG very closely, other Unions both locally and intentionally are also watching, therefore NUPENG’s leadership should swallow its pride and mend its fence. There is nothing to be ashamed of, in retracing one’s bad steps in the overall and collective interest of the Union, and putting behind every internal challenge plaguing the union, and I tell you it is not too late to do the needful if truly they are genuine leaders,” Dagogo-Jack stated.