The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo

  • proposed N5 petrol levy a huge joke – NUPENG

    proposed N5 petrol levy a huge joke – NUPENG

    The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has criticised the proposed N5 petrol levy by the Senate, describing it as a huge joke.

    Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of NUPENG, said in Lagos on Saturday that the proposal was ill-timed and also smacked of insensitivity to the current economic hardships facing Nigerians.

    He wondered how the nation’s Upper Chamber could think of another fuel price increase when Nigerians were “striving to
    cope with the current harsh economic realities”.

    “How can the Senate propose such a bill at this particular period when poor Nigerians can hardly feed themselves?

    “The prices of foodstuffs have tripled in the market, while workers’ salary has not been increased,” Korodo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

     

    Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC-Kano), the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, had on June 1, presented a bill entitled, “National Roads Bill” to the House.

    The bill recommends that Nigerians should pay N5 levy on every litre of imported petroleum products and that levy will form part of the proposed national roads fund.

    It also recommends the deduction of 0.5 per cent on fares paid by passengers travelling on inter-state roads to commercial mass transit operators as well as the return of toll gates on federal roads, among others.

    Korodo said:“Just a year ago, the pump price of petrol was increased from N87 to N145 per litre and Nigerians accepted the increment because of the sincerity of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    “Any attempt to adjust the price of petrol under any guise will be resisted by the Organised Labour.”

    The NUPENG chief called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the leadership of the Senate to step down the bill.

  • Tanker drivers’ strike paralyses loading activities in Lagos

    Loading activities at both private depots and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depots in Lagos were on Monday paralysed as Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) commenced a nationwide strike to press home their demands for enhanced welfare.

    Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who monitored the strike in Lagos observed that all tank farms in Apapa were empty, without the usual loading of products associated with depots.

    The Apapa depots visited included Total Oil and Gas, Capital Oil and Gas, NIPCO Oil and Gas, Aiteo Oil and Gas, Sahara Oil and Gas, Conoil, as well as Mobil Oil and Gas.

    The drivers were seen in groups discussing, while others were leaving the depots for unknown destinations.

    Alhaji Taofeek Lawal, the Head, Corporate Communications of NIPCO, Apapa told NAN that all depots in Apapa were empty as a result of the strike.

    According to him, there are no loading activities at present because the tanker drivers are on strike.

    He appealed to the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), PTD, NNPC representatives and other stakeholders to step in and find a lasting solution to the strike.

    Meanwhile, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of NUPENG had told NAN that the Federal Government’s representatives were meeting with NARTO and NUPENG representatives, to resolve the matter.

    Korodo said that the outcome of the meeting would decide if the strike would continue or not.

    He, however, said that there was no distribution or loading of products in any part of the country.

    One of the depot officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, told NAN that the strike was uncalled for.

    He said that the tanker drivers should have resolved the problem with the truck owners, instead of resorting to go on strike.

    The depot official noted that the country had lost over N20 billion to the ongoing strike.

    NAN reports that the strike was as a result of some unresolved issues bordering on the welfare of workers, such as bad roads, poor remuneration, insecurity and the alleged excesses of some security agencies.

  • No going back on January warning strike – NUPENG

    No going back on January warning strike – NUPENG

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Monday there is no going back on its planned warning strike scheduled to commence on  January 11.

    Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Zonal Chairman of the union told newsmen in Lagos that the Union had mobilised its members for the strike.

    He said that the union was determined to forge ahead with the planned warning strike, which would take place on from January 11 to January 13.

    “The warning strike notice had been given since the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that was held in Port Harcourt in December and we picked the second week of January which commences from January 8.

    “As I am speaking to you now, all zones including Lagos have mobilised to ensure the success of the strike as directed by NEC body of NUPENG.

    “We are having another NEC meeting in Abuja on Jan. 10, to appraise the preparation for the planned strike and meet the government officials.

    “It has been the practice of the Nigerian government to wait until the ultimatum day before they start to run from one place to other to find solutions to it.

    “If this warning strike is not properly handled as we have mobilised to ensure the success of our action, nobody should blame the union,” he said.

    Korodo said that if the government had met the NEC of NUPENG before now, the action could have been “nipped in the board’’.

    NAN reports that NUPENG on Dec. 16 gave the Federal Government a notice of a three-day nationwide warning strike from the second week of January 2017.

    The action will be taken over unresolved labour issues with multinationals operating in the oil and gas industry.

    President of the union, Mr Igwe Achese, in a statement, said that the decision was taken at the end of the NUPENG NEC, meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    He warned that the three-day warning strike was preparatory to a nationwide strike if there was no intervention by the Federal Government.

  • Labour shuts down Arik Airline offices

    The United Labour Congress (ULC) and the Nigeria Pilots and Engineers union on Tuesday shut the offices of Arik Airline over the airline inability to pay its workers for seven months.

    The Acting Chairman of ULC, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the union could no longer tolerate the inhuman treatment of Arik’s management to workers.

    Korodo said apart from owing workers for seven months, the management of the airline was not remitting workers’ taxes to relevant bodies.

    He said five executive members of the ULC working in Arik had been sacked.

    “We have shut down Arik Airlines operations, due to non-payment of seven- month salary and non- remittance of workers’ taxes to relevant agencies.

    “The office will remain shut until the end of the year, unless the management reaches a compromise with our union on the anti-labour issues.

    “We cannot continue to watch Arik management maltreat our members. Enough is enough.

    “It is a pity that many intending passengers are stranded because of our action but we have appealed to the management to look into our demand but to no avail.’’

     

  • NUPENG rejects sale of NNPC assets

    NUPENG rejects sale of NNPC assets

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers says it will not support the sale of NNPC’s assets without proper consultation with labour unions in the petroleum sector.

    Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of the union, made the declaration on Tuesday in Lagos.

    The oil workers had on November 13 declared that they would reject any attempt by the Federal Government to sell some of its stakes in the NNPC.

    The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources released a draft policy document on the reform of the oil sector on Nov. 10, which proposed the sale of some of its stake in the national oil firm.

    According to Korodo, there is no way the unions will open their eyes and allow these assets to be sold without proper consultation.

    “NUPENG says no to sale of NNPC assets, we are against any sale of the nation’s assets because there is no justification for it.

    “They are planning to sell them to their cronies like they did in power sector.

    “We cannot continue to watch until they sell the whole nation.

    “Labour unions cannot wake up and discover that assets are being put up for sale without consulting them; it will not work.

    “The government needs to resolve labour issues before selling any assets,’’ he said.