Comrade Joseph Dagogo-Jack, a frontrunner of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), department of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in Port Harcourt Zone has accused the President and the General Secretary of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale of utilizing bullying, harassment and different unconstitutional techniques to run the affairs of the union.
The elder statesman additionally condemned the unlawful and unconstitutional suspension of the National Treasurer of NUPENG, Comrade Alex Agwanwor, Samuel Mina, Queen Udeh, Justine Adigwe, and so forth, describing the choice as an aberration and a stain on the union’s conscience, noting that lots of the reported abuses within the union are occurring as a result of the present management of the union on the nationwide secretariat lacks operational, administrative and procedural competence.
In a press release signed by the union chief on Monday, he accused Afolabi and Akporeha of wrongfully taking the National Chairman of PTD, Comrade Lucky Osesua and his executives to Court over trumped-up expenses. He careworn that Comrades Lucky Osesua, Dayyabu Garga; Peter Muodobelu, Humble Obinna Power; Akinolu Olabisi; Godwin Nwaka; Tiamiu Sikiru Ojo; Abdulmumuni Shaibu, Sylvanus Idanwekhai, Sunday Ezeocha, Osamuyi Osahon, and others are the popular executives of PTD by the members, irrespective of the “wicked and divisive nature of the parent body”.
The PTD chief additionally uncovered the General Secretary for manipulating the President into writing useless letters and resolutions which might be able to placing the President’s workplace into disrepute and complete disgrace on social media. He additionally maintained that for peace to reign within the union there needs to be a degree taking part in area for anybody keen to contest for President and different elective positions, including that nobody needs to be disenfranchised throughout the union’s 2026 Delegates Conference.
Comrade Dagogo-Jack additional accused Afolabi of coercing the Zones within the union to sheepishly move a vote of confidence on the President and the workplace of the General Secretary which he (Dagogo-Jack) claimed was written by Afolabi, however compelled on the Zones of the Union and Zones in varied Branches of the Union for them to make use of on the social media, together with Whatsapp platforms.
He nevertheless known as on the Federal Ministry of Labour/Employment, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Registrar, the Police, Department of State Services, Judiciary, and so forth to take the lead in reversing the ugly pattern within the Oil and Gas union by prioritising respect for labour legal guidelines and collective bargaining agreements the place crucial because it considerations NUPENG workers and members.
He once more used the chance to name consideration to broader challenges affecting NUPENG, together with repression, insecurity of jobs, and diminishing civic area within the union. He argued {that a} strong civic surroundings is significant for each enterprise and commerce Union actions to thrive, whereas additionally searching for the help of the media with a view to get a voice that may assist justice, peace, accountability, transparency and fairness in NUPENG.
“The President and the General Secretary of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale have each taken bullying, intimidation, victimisation and harassment of each members and workers of the union in all of the 4 zones in Nigeria to an especially excessive and embarrassing degree, to the extent that within the eyes of the general public, NUPENG is now being subjected to ridicule, complete shame, and has change into a laughing inventory to the remainder of the world particularly ILO, IndustriALL and so forth.
“As at in the present day NUPENG beneath the management of Afolabi and Williams has recorded the best variety of lawsuits, with a median of fifty instances, lots of which had been filed by former workers, expelled, or suspended members of the union. Infact the judiciary is even bored with their strategy to lots of the instances and worst nonetheless the union has been reprimanded severally and slammed with contempt expenses and fines.
“The present nationwide management of NUPENG has created critical disaster in PTD by eradicating a democratically elected National Chairman, in particular person of Comrade Lucky Osesua and changing him with a stooge which is towards the desires of the members, and likewise in contravention to the declarative orders of the courtroom on how a free and honest election needs to be carried out in PTD. Yet, the General Secretary and the President of their depraved act are nonetheless urgent legal expenses on harmless people who’re recognized to be regulation abiding and have by no means erred in regulation.
“Myself and different involved members of the union who need the very best for NUPENG are due to this fact interesting to the media to please associate with the aggrieved members of the union who’re on the facet of reality and clamoring for honest listening to and justice to foster a safer, industrial pleasant, and affluent Trade Union ambiance. The media ought to as effectively be constant in sustaining a excessive degree of duty, ethics, and professionalism of their reporting, in addition to guarantee correct and goal data dissemination not minding whose ox is gored.
“Afolabi and Williams have now seen the social media as instruments to pull the title of the union within the mud, posterity won’t ever be sort to them as they’ve determined to wreck the legacies of late Comrade (Chief) Frank Ovie Kokori and different founding fathers of the Union.
“Afolabi and Akporeha’s constant mistreatment of workers and members throughout the zones regrettably entails threats, humiliation, and intimidation, resulting in important psychological misery for the focused people. It’s a heartbreaking actuality, however many individuals really feel cornered and powerless when confronted with these abnormalities within the union.
“This toxic behavior if not addressed on time may tear the union apart and make its upcoming 2026 Delegates Conference an impossible agenda. Stakeholders of the industry must take note and rescue the union from this preposterous and unfortunate situation. Profit without people is an empty pursuit; progress without justice is a fleeting illusion. “Afolabi and Williams should stop running the union as their personal enterprise” Dagogo-Jack mentioned.
