Tanker drivers who transport petroleum and natural gas in Nigeria are upset and are thinking about leaving their union, NUPENG. This group, known as the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), has warned that they might break away from NUPENG unless the national president, Williams Akporeha, and the general secretary, Olawale Afolabi, step down from their positions.
The tanker drivers made this threat in a statement issued in Abuja, and it was signed by Gbenga Olawale and Adekunle Rufai from the PTD in Ibadan Depot. They explained that they protested across the country by putting plant leaves in front of their trucks. They also warned NUPENG and the police not to interfere with or harass their leaders.
The drivers claimed that the president of NUPENG, Williams, is not qualified for his position because he wasn’t originally a member of the oil union. According to them, he used to work as a cook in an oil company but was fired while serving as the national treasurer of NUPENG. They allege that he was later placed in the Petrol Station Workers Union of NUPENG to make it possible for him to run for the position of NUPENG President.
The tanker drivers believe this goes against NUPENG’s rules because Williams wasn’t a recognized worker or pump attendant when he applied for the presidency. They also accused him of appointing his supporters to collect union revenue for their personal benefit.
In response, the NUPENG secretary, Afolabi, denied these claims, stating that the group issuing the statement is not made up of PTD members. He explained that the leaders of this faction had been arrested and were being held in Kuje prison in Abuja after attacking NUPENG leaders in the past.
