Author - PROSPER AKRAI

2ND OCTOBER, 2023

THE NIGERIA UNION OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS WORKERS (NUPENG) COMMISERATES WITH THE DECEASED, VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS ON THE UNFORTUNATE FATAL ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON THE OLOGBO AXIS OF WARRI/ BENIN HIGHWAY ON THE 1^ST OF OCTOBER, 2023.

The leadership and members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers wish to express our deepest condolences with the families of our Petroleum Tanker Drivers, the deceased, victims, and members of the public on the unfortunate fatal accident that claimed the lives of Petroleum Tanker Drivers and many other innocent Nigerians on the 1^st of October, 2023 along the Ologbo axis of the Warri /Benin highway. This accident occurred as a result of the failed and deplorable conditions of the Benin/Warri highway, scores of persons were burnt to death, with many others sustaining serious injuries, lots of vehicles destroyed and the Union is saddened by this unfortunate regular occurrence. We deeply commiserate with the families of our Petroleum Tanker Drivers, other deceased and all those who lost one thing or the other as a result of the unfortunate accident. This was an avoidable and unfortunate tragedy that wouldn’t have happened if our political leaders aren’t so callous, irresponsible and insensitive to the plight of the ordinary masses they claim to be leading and representing. Without any doubt whatsoever, this was an accident that waited so long before it happened, and the leadership of our great Union did so much to avert it. We spent workers hard earned money to put hardcore stones and sands several times on many portions of this highway every year to make it passable for our members and other road users. We made several advocacy calls and campaigns for repairs of these roads and even issued threats of industrial actions so as to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the tragic accident - in- waiting, yet no response until this happened. We even took the campaign for repairs of these roads into different Federal and State government houses, even as recent as our visit to the Governor of Delta State just two weeks ago, precisely on the 19^th day of September 2023. That though these roads are federal roads but the accidents and tragedies like these are definitely Local and State calamities. No Governor or government officials should shed any crocodile tears in this matter, the blood of our Petroleum Tanker Drivers members and other people that died in this tragic accident is on them, most especially the former minister of Works and Housing, who spent eight years on the job without any meaningful improvement to the deplorable conditions of the highways. We wish to let them know that their words of condolences are like sharp knives and salt to our bleeding hearts and wounds and no amount of condolences will be acceptable to us. This tragic accident happening on our national Independence Day speaks volumes about our nation’s appreciation and commitment to the sanctity of human lives. Nigerians are being wasted away every day through the callousness, insensitivity and negligence of those we entrusted our lives. The leadership of the Union finds it so disturbing, that in spites of the daily carnages recorded on the Nigerian highways, the Federal and State governments have remained insensitive to the plights and suffering of the poor masses that commute these deplorable and failed highways on daily bases to convey goods and services. With this tragic incident, the Union further demands that the Federal and State governments should immediately commence the rehabilitation of all the failed roads in the country in order to save the poor masses from these avoidable experiences and deaths. We earnestly plead with the general public to bear with us, should we in the next couple of weeks decide to take some decisive steps towards making both the Federal and State governments do the needful on our roads so as to avoid further similar tragedies and save lives and properties of other people, decisive steps which may include total withdrawal of our services from these death traps called Federal Highways. Finally, while we mourn those that died, we pray that God should grant members of their families and Nigerians the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. Our Solidarity remains Constant for the Union makes us strong!!! Signed: COMRADE WILLIAMS AKPOREHA, National President                             COMRADE AFOLABI OLAWALE, General Secretary

28^th September, 2023

MOBILIZATION FOR A NATIONWIDE INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Consequent upon the joint resolution of the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress as the outcome of the joint National Executive Council meeting of the two Labour Federation, held on 26th September, 2023, we wish to inform  all our members in the Formal and Informal Sectors of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry and alert the general Public that the rank and file members of our Union are hereby directed to commence full mobilization and ensure an unwavering compliance with the directive of the two Labour Centres to all affiliate Industrial Unions to embark on a nationwide industrial action from midnight of 3^rd October, 2023. The leadership of NUPENG finds it so disturbing and unfortunate, that the federal government of Nigeria and other tiers of governments are so insensitive to the excruciating and debilitating socio/economic pains Nigerians are passing through as a result of very harsh and sudden economic policies taken by this administration without any accompanying socio/economic policies to ameliorate and cushion the immediate effects and impacts those difficult and harsh policies are having on the citizenry. Further worrisome to us is the apparent lack of regards and respect to cries and yearnings of the Organised Labour, Civil Society Organisations and the general public by this administration. It appears the administration is arrogantly taking the goodwill and the tolerance level of the workers and Nigerians in general for granted. This arrogance is demonstrated clearly and loudly by the ways and manners meetings with organized labour and outcomes of such meetings are taking with levity and disrespect. The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is aware of the huge impacts a 24hours industrial action by the organized labour can have on businesses and socio/economic lives of the nation, unfortunately, the government’s actions and inactions are inextricably forcing the organized labour to take this very hard and painful route of last resort to demand for needful socio/economic policies to ameliorate and cushion the debilitating and dehumanizing living conditions of Nigerians generally. Beyond any reasonable doubts, the government has demonstrated high insensitivity lack of respect and regards to organized labour and the Nigerian masses. Therefore, it is in the light of the above, that NUPENG as a responsive and responsible affiliate Union of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), will fully comply with the  resolution of the joint NEC meeting and we hereby direct the leaders in the four (4) Zonal Councils of our great Union to mobilize all our members in the formal and informal sectors to shut down services effective 3^rd October, 2023. All NUPENG members, including the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Petrol Stations Workers (PSW), Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers (LPGAR) and all other allied workers in the value chain of petroleum products distribution must comply with this directive from midnight of Tuesday, 3rd October 2023. All Branches and Units of our Union are to take note and ensure full compliance by setting up Compliance and Monitoring Teams in all operational locations. Our Solidarity remains constant, for the Union makes us strong!!! Signed: COMRADE WILLIAMS AKPOREHA , National President                                                                                            COMRADE AFOLABI OLAWALE, General Secretary    

The Leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) humbly led by the National President, Comrade (Prince) Williams Akporeha, the General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, Comrade Prince Moses (Deputy President) and Comrade Alex Agwanwor (National Treasurer) received in audience a delegation of  Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Management - led by Mr. Paul Bakare (Employee Industrial Relations Manager) and Mr. Jude Ozenua (Employee Industrial Relations) on a courtesy visit to NUPENG National Secretariat.

Their discussions were centred around promotion of industrial peace, harmony and cooperation. After the meeting, NUPENG Leadership took their guests on a tour of the soon to be completed NUPENG Tower at No. 9, Jibowu Street, Yaba, Lagos.

Also present at the meeting were Comrade Onohwohwo Otite (DGS Special Duties), Comrade Anthony Chukwu (DGS Finance and Accounts) and Comrade Olivet Aberare (SOS Legal).

Tuesday, 18th July, 2023.

 

WELCOME ADDRESS BY COMRADE (PRINCE) WILLIAMS AKPOREHA, NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF NUPENG AT THE 2022 NUPENG NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS SEMINAR HELD AT THE NAF CONFERENCE CENTRE IN ABUJA, FCT, FROM WEDNESDAY, 7TH – FRIDAY, 9TH DECEMBER 2022. Honourable Minister of FCT Distinguished invited Guests National Executive Council Members of NUPENG Dear Participants Fellow Comrades Members of the Press It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome you all to the 2022 NUPENG National Industrial Relations Seminar in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. Our choice of Abuja for this year’s National Industrial Relations Seminar was informed by the need to have it in a serene atmosphere and the ambience for learning. It is also a unique opportunity for fellow Comrades not only to go back to School but to fraternize and socialize in the midst of economic pressures affecting all of us today. The National Industrial Relations Seminar is an Annual Event in our education Calendar. The only period we had a break was during the Covid-19 pandemic. But thank God, that has been put to rest now and we can gather and refresh our minds and patterns on modern day Industrial Relations practice.  The fact is that we will not relent in our efforts to train and retrain our rank-and-file so that they will be abreast with modern trends in the industry. The objective of the NUPENG National Industrial Relations Seminar is to educate and enlighten our members on topical issues as it relates to the Oil and Gas Industry, to promote cordial Employer and Employee relationship, all geared towards the development of our members. The theme of this year’s workshop is: “Employment in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry: Search for Decent Work and Industrial Harmony”. This theme is very apt and in line with the challenges presently bedevilling the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria. There is an urgent need for a continued reappraisal of the relationship between the employers and employees in the Oil and Gas Industry to avert conflict and attain a decent work policy for our members. The world is now a global village and technology has taken over. We cannot therefore afford to sit on the fence; hence the Unions commitment to make sure our members are trained both locally and internationally. In this regard, we all desire for work opportunities that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in workplace and social protection for all, better prospects of personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives as well as equal opportunity and treatment for all women and men; that is Decent Work. But over the years, some employers of labour in the Oil and Gas Industry have neglected these principles of decent work. Employment in the oil and gas industry has been reduced to terrible working conditions and ill-treatment of workers. The Employers have continued to embark upon casualization and outsourcing of workers without standard which is an abuse of human dignity and unfair treatment. These employers of labour in the oil and gas industry have put various hurdles on the track for workers not to unionize and express themselves, thereby infringing on their fundamental human rights and freedom of association. The wages paid these workers in Nigeria are not commensurate with their output compared with their peers in other climes, as they are being exploited. As a matter of fact, what we should be propagating now is making sure oil and gas workers are well paid, ensuring safe and better working environment with social protection and safeguarding their rights and privileges. These are the factors that make up the standards for decent work and individual harmony in the workplace globally. We are really disturbed by the attitudes of various managements in the maltreatment of workers through low wages, no-provision of safety tools at workplaces, resulting to complete dehumanization. The panacea is to confront them headlong through advocacy, lobbying the National Assembly to enact laws to protect these workers. We shall embark on more picketing actions against these managements that are uncooperative and bent on engaging in unfair labour practices. We are highly optimistic that at the end of this Seminar, our members would be highly equipped to reengage managements in a more robust technique of CBA that will eventually lead to an industry harmonized standard of compensation which will bring an end to the inglorious era of using contractors to maltreat and short-change workers. Additionally, we are conscious of the threat by climate change and thus, the quest for Just Energy Transition. The Just Energy Transition is a response of workers all over the world to the threats posed by climate change and it is gaining momentum globally. These processes that are at the heart of the green economy must respect International Labour Standards. It might interest you to know that yours truly and the General Secretary has been part of the climate change campaigns and advocacy in Seoul, South Korea and Kenyan, capital of Nairobi. And I can tell you it was an eye opener as those trips exposed us to a completely new transformation in the workplace. But what is most worrisome to me is that when the developed nations are already positioning themselves to the challenges of world of work, our employers here as still indulging in indecent employment system that lacks human face. Where major oil companies engage pay masters as manpower contractors and use employment of workers as public relations to politicians and community leaders is most unfortunate, and the resultant effect of that is slave and indecent work system. I however use this opportunity to request that the time is now right for a harmonized working conditions in the oil and gas industry to forestall this brazen exploitation of Nigerian workers. I also request our lawmakers to promulgate laws that should ban degrading employment systems where all manners of individuals who have no necessary prerequisite for manpower recruitment to do so as we have seen in the industry. That the NUPENG leadership will be collaborating with our international affiliate and other well meaning civil society organizations to embark on a vigorous advocacy and industry actions against anti-Union/Labour employers in the industry. This modern- day slave employment must stop and now! So, dear Comrades and other participants here present, let me confirm here again that climate change is real, and we must all be ready for it. Permit me to use this opportunity to call on government agencies and our employers to appropriately engage and carry the Trade Unions along in all campaigns and deliberations as we all seek to make our world of work a better place to for the present and unborn generations. As we are gathered here today to acquire more knowledge, this should excite all who seek the truth because if we know the truth, it should set us free; if not here, then in the hereafter. Blessed are our teachers (resource persons) because they shall have their reward here on earth and in heaven, as I believe they will address these issues for the betterment of the Oil and Gas industry and Nigeria. Let me not elaborate further on this topic, as an array of experts have been assembled to do justice to the issues and challenges in employment in the Nigeria oil and gas industry and the search for decent work and industrial harmony. CONCLUSION Fellow invited Guests, and seminar participants, I want to enjoin you to take the seminar lectures seriously as this is not a time for jamboree. There is no knowledge that is lost, as whatever you learn during the seminar, will go a long way to improve your negotiation skills, and put you on a better pedestal. However, all work and no play make jack a dull boy as you use the spare time to relax around your hotel and be security conscious. Once again, I thank you for rapt attention as I welcome you all to the NUPENG 2022 National Industrial Relations Seminar. Long live NUPENG! Long live NLC!! Long live IndustriALL!! Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!! Thank you.