- The Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch clarified it will not participate in the August 1 protest, dismissing claims of an impending industrial crisis
- Comrade Augustine Egbon urged security agencies to investigate Comrade Idris’s claims, asserting that they are false and politically motivated
The Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (PTD-NUPENG) has clarified that it has no intentions to participate in the planned August 1 nationwide protest organized by some Nigerian youths.
Comrade Augustine Egbon, the National Chairman of PTD-NUPENG, stated on Wednesday that concerns were being addressed about some external forces attempting to infiltrate the union to support the planned protest.
Egbon’s statement came in response to an online report by Comrade Olaitan Idris, a supposed union member, who claimed that an industrial crisis was imminent following a recent special delegates’ conference in Lagos. At this conference, Comrades Augustine Egbon and Oluchi Chinagorom were elected as national chairman and national secretary, respectively, which Idris claimed did not have the support of the majority of union members.
Comrade Egbon dismissed Idris’s assertions as false and baseless, emphasizing that the election in Lagos was well-represented, with delegates from all zones and 150 units of PTD-NUPENG, and was observed by representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour.
Egbon called on security agencies to interrogate Comrade Idris, accusing him of being manipulated by forces collaborating with the masterminds of the August protest.
“There is no truth in the claims made by the so-called Comrade Idris, who asserts to be a union member. We do not recognize him in any of our units.
“Nigerians should disregard rumours of a strike by our union. Those making such claims are aligned with the planners of the August protest,” Egbon stated.
He reiterated that PTD-NUPENG, under his leadership, has no plans to strike and urged the federal government to identify and address those threatening a strike during this critical period for the industry.