The embattled President and General Secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrades Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale have taken fresh swipe from Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) just as the Branch stakeholders called for the duo’s immediate resignation in order to give room for fresh air and stability in the Union.
The latest call was contained in a statement signed by one Comrade Preye Odede-Graham on Sunday, September 21, 2025, on behalf of PTD elders and stakeholders, Comrades (Alhaji) Tajudeen Abubakar (Kaduna Zone), Chief (Comrade.) Edafe Osas (Warri Zone), Comrade Joseph Dagogo-Jack (JP) (Port Harcourt Zone) and Comrade Kolade Fadahunsi-Ojelabi (Lagos Zone).
This latest onslaught came on the heels of standoff and industrial disputes between Dangote Refinery, NUPENG, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and other industry Associations. The Unions alleged that the refinery was preventing Tanker Drivers from joining the Union, an erroneous assertion which PTD described as “tissue of lies from the pit of hell”.
PTD blamed the recent woes befalling NUPENG on the lacklustre attitude of the union’s President as well as intimidation, victimization and harassment of the members of PTD by the General Secretary which is at variance with the extant rules of the union as well as human dignity.
PTD maintained that they no longer wanted to be used as attack dogs against the federal government, especially President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other players in the industrial ecosystem.
They lampooned leaders of NUPENG over their failure to hail the tenacity of Dangote Refinery for standing against all odds to defeat the process pressure and market disruption with his 650,000 bpd capacity alongside with the 4000 CNG trucks tankers and 6000 truck cargoes totalling 10000 trucks costing 2trillion Naira to move the products to the consumers at no cost, with value added of over 40,000 jobs capacity.
They also begged President Tinubu to ensure high tariffs increase to discourage fuel importation and add increased crude supply to Dangote Refinery with a license for oil exploration. They further advise Mr President to nationalise oil wells so as to allow for proper dredging, as the majority of licensed sites were desolate and moribund.
The aggrieved PTD stakeholders in their plea accused Afolabi and Williams of carrying out activities that were contemptuous of the Court, which would further plunge them into shame and legal punishment, especially the collection of illegal levies and dues at various depots, including Dangote refinery. The tanker drivers added that NUPENG leaders should be ready to pay back with interest or risk going to jail. PTD stated that if the duo were allowed to continue in office, their joint presence could drag the union into total extinction, as well as local and international disgrace.
They begged law enforcement agencies, anti graft agents, industry regulators, Federal government, stakeholders in trade union, media, civil society, legal profession, etc, to support them to commence the re-engineering of NUPENG by showing Afolabi and Williams the exit doors from the union so that the petroleum industry could get the much anticipated liberation.
“The era of fresh air has arrived and will permanently stay in the PTD Branch and also in NUPENG as a whole. This shift will help to signal a total end to all forms of manipulation, extortion, intimidation and harassment by the Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale-led administration in the union. The General Secretary and the President should smell the coffee and resign honourably to avoid bringing further shame to their families and the Union. These are people who would claim they go for meetings in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna to advance workers’ welfare and good condition of service only to be seen at different Clubs and hotels with different women to satisfy their fantasies. They have outlived their relevance, so they should leave now that their reputation is dwindling woefully.
“Their much-expected exit will practically rekindle the hope for the hopeless in the union. Petroleum Tanker Drivers are not mere servants for some egocentric leaders of NUPENG who only use us as attack dogs against the federal government and other industry investors especially Dangote. We have observed that the interest of drivers is being compromised and, worse still, relegated to the background, and most annoying is that these hardworking members of PTD are being tagged “common drivers”, called “illiterates”, and in some instances “public goats”. We are grateful to God that this has been put to a halt under the leadership of Comrade Lucky Osesua, his deputy, Dayyabu Garga, and Comrade Dr Humble Obinna Power.
“Emperical evidence has also revealed that Afolabi Olawale is one person whose interest is to enrich himself and display a high level of heinous activity to subjugate other union members and staff. A salary earner of NUPENG, whose primary scope of work is to manage the secretariat, has now turned himself into a monster. Under him, all NUPENG positions have prize tags, all for his selfish interest. The freedom mantra has started; we thank God, and the courageous men that kick-started this struggle. May the almighty God protect and bless them all.
“Affiliate members of NUPENG have commendably begun the passing of a vote of no confidence on the President and General Secretary, as it is widely confirmed that these individuals have embarrassingly failed the union. The time is now for NUPENG to start charting a new course to enable members and staff to face and mitigate the challenges of deregulation in the petroleum sector and as well consolidate the “new, acceptable and sustainable normal” that Dangote Refinery and MRS have brought to the oil and gas sector.
“This is also a testament to the success of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and also the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on energy efficiency and the 2030 Agenda. With all these attendant feats, Dangote deserves all the accolades. Therefore, no one should listen to any nuisance being constituted by any group under the guise of a trade union. But the good thing is that Nigerians can no longer be deceived as they now know who the real economic saboteurs in the country are, and impressively relevant security agencies are dealing with them accordingly. No one is bigger than the rule of law.
“On this note, we therefore appeal to all our members in PTD and others in various branches not to be despaired, let us join hands together and win the battle against these common enemies and stop them once and for all, these multidimensional nonsense and slavery in the union must be hurriedly put to stop. United, we stand against every economic saboteur and enemies of progress in Nigeria’s economic powerhouse” the statement said.
