The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has warned the public about a group that claims to represent oil and gas transporters and marketers. NUPENG emphasises that this group is operating without legal authority and is trying to take advantage of unsuspecting Nigerians.
This warning came through a statement released in Port Harcourt on Monday, signed by NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, and Secretary General, Afolabi Olawale.
In their statement, they said, “The attention of the leadership of our great Union has been drawn to some advertisements on news media of some unscrupulous and dangerous individuals claiming to be members of one amorphous association they claim is both Transporters and Marketers of the Oil and Gas at the same time. And we wish to state that this association is nothing but an assemblage of failed Rent Seekers in the Subsidy Regime and Irredeemable Smugglers of Petroleum Products disguised as businessmen and women.”
They further cautioned, “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 and made smuggling unprofitable for them.”
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NUPENG then clarified which organisations are legitimate in the industry. They explained, “The leadership of our great Union recognises National Association of Road Transport Owners as the legitimate umbrella body of Transporters in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry and Employers of Petroleum Tankers Drivers of which our Union has Collective Bargaining Agreement with on behalf of Petroleum Tankers Drivers.”
The statement continued: “We also recognise the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, as well as Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria as legitimate marketers of Oil and Gas products. These are associations of Marketers that are well known and respected in the downstream sector of the Nigeria oil and gas industry.”
They emphasised the legal framework of the industry, stating, “There is also no ambiguity in the fact that the Nigeria Labour laws only recognise NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria as the umbrella bodies for oil and gas Workers in Nigeria. These are the two organisations that represent and protect the job interests of the Nigeria oil and gas workers including Petroleum Tanker Drivers as prescribed in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The union concluded by advising both individuals and government officials to avoid any association with this unnamed group.
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