Tag: NUPENG

The leadership crisis within the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG has taken a new turn as an aggrieved suspended group held parallel elections to select the organization’s national executives.

The main faction of the organization, led by embattled suspended national chairman, Comrade Lucky Osesua, briefed journalists at a press conference in Abuja, described the election which was conducted by the opposition on July 3, 2024, in Lagos as a Kangaroo exercise that is null and void, declaring that the party went against the judgement of the National Industrial Court of May 29, 2024.

Addressing the press in the company of Comrade Dayyabu Garga in Abuja, the Deputy National Chairman, Comrade Humble Ogbonna Power, and other aggrieved members, Comrade Osesua declared that his group did not recognize the election exercise hence it held its own separate election.

 Osesua described his group’s position as a liberation struggle, stressing that they are law-abiding persons who have prepared for all the consequences their cause of action for the liberation of PTD will bring.

Read Also: Attempted Murder: ‘How I escaped death’, NUPENG secretary-general tells court

According to him, ‘the court ordered NUPENG to forthwith put the process for the new election in motion by constituting an all-inclusive Electoral and Caretaker Committee, as ordered in the judgment in Suit No. NICN/YEN/14/2022, who shall conduct the election within 4 months from the date of this judgment.

He said: “But, NUPENG, on May 31, 2024, released once again discriminatory and selective election guidelines to favour their preferred candidates. This is against the judgment of the court, not equitable, unfair, unjust, and against natural justice.

“We totally condemn this continuous act. We condemn the continuous suspension of all our members; all the people suspended had to be recalled and reinstated to their various units and positions as they were in line with the court judgment of May 29, 2024, as those are the people who will form the delegates. Once again we reiterate that the court ordered the fresh election to be all-inclusive and nondiscriminatory on any account”.

The group further pledged to remain law abiding and never to work against the seamless policies of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration, while enjoining members to continue in their pivotal roles of distributing petroleum products across the country.

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Olawale Afolabi, on Wednesday, June 26, gave details of how he narrowly escaped death when he was attacked by some ex-leaders of the leaders of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG.

Afolabi spoke while testifying before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama at the commencement of trial in the attempted murder case involving the ex-leaders of the leaders of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD).

The defendants include; a one-time national chairman, Lucky Osesua, his deputy, Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, Humble Obinna, Akinolu Olabisi, Godwin Nwaka, and Tiamiu Sikiru,

The rest are Abdulmimin Shaibu, John Amajuoyi, Zaira Aregbo, Patrick Erhivwor, Stephen Ogheneruemu, Gift Ukponku, and Sunday Ezeocha and seven others.

They were in the suit, marked: CR/042/202, were alleged to have attacked the National President of NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha, General Secretary, Wale Afolabi, and the newly elected National Chairman of the PTD-NUPENG, Augustine Egbon.

They pleaded guilty to the charge and were remanded in prison custody until they perfected their bail.

Led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, David Kaswe, Afolabi (who is the first prosecution witness) told the court how the defendants descended on him, beat him, and left him to die.

He described the incident, which occurred on November 1, 2023, as the “most awful and horrible day” in his life, adding that it was the day he almost died as a result of the attack carried out on him by the defendants.

Afolabi recalled how he and the National President of NUPENG and two others had arrived at the headquarters of the union at 50 Majekodunmi Crescent, Utarko, Abuja on that fateful day for their lawful duties.

He said unknowingly to them, the defendants had laid siege inside the premises and pounced on him immediately he had used the pedestrian gate to gain access into the building since the main gate was not opened by the security guard.

“Lucky came to me, grabbed my throat, trying to strangulate me. Obinna came and gave me a blow and Sikiru Tiamiu gave me another blow and I became dizzy”, he said.

The witness said when the beating was much and he was about to die, Lucky shouted at the others “Don’t kill him here,” while Gaga said, “Pull him out, it is not supposed to be here “at the point he was dragged out of the union’s premises and further beaten outside until he lost consciousness.

”When I regained consciousness the next day, I found myself in Zankli Hospital, Abuja.

“I suffered severe injuries. I was afraid for my life and safety at the hospital. I had to leave for another hospital,” he said.

Afolabi added that he was later taken to the police station on November 2, 2023, where he made a statement and was taken to the Police hospital services for further treatment.

Kaswe subsequently tendered the hospital reports and patient cards of the two hospitals.

The lawyer also tendered documents from a healthcare facility named: Emmanuel Eye Care Services and Dental Clinic, which were all admitted in evidence by the court.

Also admitted was the petition written to the police on Nov. 2, 2023.

Under cross-examination by a lawyer of the defendants, Benson Igbanoi, Afolabi said he could not remember the number of statements he made to the police.

He admitted not mentioning the names of his attackers in his statement to the police, even though he gave their names while testifying earlier in court.

When asked if there was an election a day before he arrived in Abuja, he answered in the affirmative adding there were three elections, in Ibadan, Warri, and Port Harcourt, and that they have 150 branches.

Also, when asked how he was able to recognise those whom he said attacked him, the witness submitted” that I lost consciousness does not mean I lost my memory ‘

The witness stated that he did not know the name of the doctor who treated him in the hospital.

After the witness’ testimony, Justice Halilu Halilu adjourned till October 10 for the continuation of the trial.

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The defendants reportedly attacked the NUPENG President and General Secretary when they accompanied the new PTD national chairman, Augustine Egbon, and other members of his executive to the national secretariat of the union in Abuja, at the end of a Special Delegates Conference for the PTD Branch of NUPENG held in Ibadan, where Egbon and others emerged as national officers of PTD-NUPENG.

The fresh election was a sequel to the judgment of Justice Bashar Alkali of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Yenagoa Judicial Division, Bayelsa State, which nullified the PTD Branch of NUPENG election held on June 30, 2O22 in Ibadan.

The defendants are alleged to have acted, “in a manner likely to cause the death of one Comrade Wiliams Akporeha and Comrade Augustine Egbon”, an offence punishable under Section 229 of the Penal Code Act, 2004.

They are also accused of voluntarily causing grievous bodily harm to Comrade Williams Akporeha, Comrade Olawale Afolabi, Comrade Solomon Kilanko, and Comrade Augustine Egbon.

The last year’s leadership crisis in the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of the NUPENG has lingered into another year with the association taking a swipe at the General Secretary of the Union, Afolabi Olawale, for calling its members “public goats”.

Afolabi had reportedly, during an interview that he granted a national television a few weeks ago, categorised the PTD members as ‘public goats.’

National Chairman of PTD and his deputy, Comrade Lucky Osesua and Comrade Dayyabu Garga, in a jointly signed press statement, issued yesterday, said that incessant use of derogatory phrases and words against their members at Unit, Zonal, and National levels was a reflection of failed leadership, arrogance, and lack of men of honour at the helms of the union’s affairs.

The PTD national leaders also demanded a retraction of the offensive words by the General Secretary, stressing that failure to do so would further strip him of any honour.

The leaders also stated that as a man of honour and for the place of history, he needed to make the necessary amends in the interest of the union.

“It was a total display of shame to see Afolabi Olawale, the General Secretary of a Union like NUPENG, describe those he claimed to have organized in the informal sector of the union, as public goats.

“He brazenly made the comment without restraint because he is used to it. He loves using demeaning phrases and terms anytime he talks about PTD. He loves calling us illiterate people, scavengers, etc.

“In the same interview, he even said nobody takes care of tanker drivers because most of their employers are not properly structured; then as chief organizer himself, it shows he has failed in his core and statutory responsibilities if in 2024, PTD members are still not well structured so much that their employers will find it difficult to take care of drivers’ well-being and welfare, then it will be fair to conclude that Afolabi is completely a total misfit, a neophyte occupying the seat of General Secretary of NUPENG.

“Unfortunately, he made the disrespectful remarks openly to the surprise of the whole world while also exposing his own incompetence, failure, arrogance, lack of honour, and integrity.

“The question-and-answer session on TVC was an opportunity for him to prove himself as an upright leader, but his many nauseating gaffes, snafus, unintelligible mumbo jumbo and meaningless reactions extremely showed that he is a wrong man for the job of NUPENG General Secretary.

“We, therefore, admonish him to retract the insults passed on us, and failure to do so will further strip him of any honour left in him, and for the price he owes history, he must make the necessary amends in the interest of NUPENG and trade unionism as a whole.

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“It is, however, on record that Afolabi has no regard for the basic norms of human conduct. He lacks any self-awareness or self-scrutiny. He seems beyond embarrassment. The only moral and social compass he follows is his own false and fraudulent ideas about what is appropriate and inappropriate, shameful or deceitful.”

“As we have said before, Afolabi Olawale cannot try to take the credit as if the health insurance scheme, which he is currently hyping, was his brainchild. What he is currently championing lacks acceptability, consultation, education and due process. He and his ilk are only using coercive force to lure our members into it, which is against the good intent of the health insurance scheme.

“Our reaction underscores the lack of attraction in the NUPENG programmes and policies which ostensibly lack direction, sincerity and purpose as it is being orchestrated by the current leadership under Afolabi Olawale (General Secretary) and Williams Akporeha (President).

“We therefore urge our members to take informed decisions about their welfare, health, life, wellbeing, and livelihoods and never allow anyone to tricklishly distort their destinies through thoughtless, fishy, self-imposed and questionable schemes.

“We also take this opportunity to inform all PTD members across the board that we are very close to judicial victory whereby things will be done by a constitutionally recognized and legitimate leadership of Comrade Lucky Osesua and Comrade Dayyabu Garga through the grace of God Almighty and the support of all our members and other relevant stakeholders,” the statement said.