Kehinde Fajobi
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has cautioned the public and stakeholders in the oil industry against recognising a new group of petroleum marketers under the aegis of Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP), who are scheduled to hold a meeting today in Abuja.
In a statement issued by NUPENG President Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Afolabi Olawale, on Wednesday in Abuja, the union urged caution.
“The general public and government institutions are hereby warned and strongly advised to be very wary of these individuals who are desperately seeking ways and means to continue to exploit Nigerians and collecting rents in other manners since the current administration removed subsidy from petroleum products,” the union stated.
NUPENG emphasised that only certain associations are legitimate in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector: the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).
Additionally, NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) are the only recognised labour bodies for oil and gas workers.
“The leadership of our great union recognizes National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, as the legitimate umbrella body of Transporters in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry and Employers of Petroleum Tankers Drivers, PTD, of which our Union has Collective Bargaining Agreement with on behalf of Petroleum Tankers Drivers,” the statement read.
It added, “We also recognize Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, MEMAN, as well as Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, as legitimate marketers of oil and gas products.”
NUPENG urged Nigerians and government officials to disregard invitations from ADITOP, stressing that the union and PENGASSAN are the only bodies recognised under Nigerian labour laws to protect oil and gas workers’ rights, including those of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD).