The newly elected National Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG Comrade Lucky Osezua has asked the President and General Secretary of NUPENG Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale to resign from office to allow fresh air and stability in the union.
This was contained in a statement signed by Preye Odede-Graham on behalf of the PTD leadership of Comrade Osesua.
PTD blamed the recent woes befalling NUPENG on the lacklustre attitude of the President as well as intimidation, victimization and harassment of the members of PTD by the General Secretary which is at variance to the extant rules of the union and human dignity. PTD maintained that they no longer want to be used as attack dogs against the Federal Government and other players in the industrial ecosystem.
The aggrieved PTD members also accused Afolabi and Williams of carrying out activities that are contemptuous to the Court which would further plunge them into shame and legal punishment. PTD described sneaking into the premises of PTD Secretariat by Afolabi and Williams and their ilk as a show of ignominy.
They also accused them of failure to carry elders and veterans of NUPENG along, adding that if the duo were allowed to continue in office their joint presence could drag the union into total extinction. They begged 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 exit doors from the union.
PTD also expressed disappointment over the abandonment of the founding father of NUPENG, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, who is languishing in the hospital bed, noting that the current leadership of NUPENG are insensitive to the plights of the rank and file members, staff, elders and veterans of the union.
Below is the statement in full:
“THE SHOW OF SHAME BY WILLIAMS AND AFOLABI
“How are the mighty fallen! The story of Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale is currntly a show of shame and disappointment. Meanwhile, after watching the world press conference of our prudent National Chairman, Comrade Lucky Osesua, who credibly emerged as the National Chairman of the people by the people and for the people, one will simply conclude that the era of fresh air has arrived and will permanently stay in the PTD Branch of NUPENG.
“This new breather for the tanker drivers in the union is also signaling a total end to all forms of manipulation, extortion, intimidation and harassment by the Williams Akporeha and Afolabi Olawale led administration in the union.
“Our National Chairman’s broadcast is not ordinary, but firmly rekindles the hope for the hopeless. 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 non complying businessmen. We have observed that the interest of drivers is being compromised and worst still, relegated to the background and most annoying is that these hardworking members of PTD are being tagged common drivers. We are grateful to God that this has been put to a total halt under the leadership of Comrade Lucky Osesua.
“Let me take on Afolabi and what he represents, he 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 mind the secretariat has now turned himself into a monster. Under him, all NUPENG positions have prize tags, all for his selfish purpose. The liberation mantra has started, and I thank God and men that kick-started this struggle. May the almighty God bless you all.
“Another shameful act which we discovered was that some vicious leaders in NUPENG as currently constituted used operatives of Police and DSS to hoodwink and harass our people to support them against their wish. Let me also announce that we will challenge all these shenanigans in Court and expose everyone involved in this arbitrary use of state powers. My sincere advice to Williams and Afolabi is to resign their positions forthwith to enable us to redirect our union, they’ve lost every essence of trade union leadership. They should also turn-in themselves to proper Police investigation and hand over the union’s properties in their possessions.
“Afflilate members of NUPENG should pass a vote of no confidence on the duo. They have failed us. The time is now for NUPENG to start charting a new course to enable us to face and mitigate the challenges of deregulation in the petroleum sector.
“The PTD election shows clearly that the duo can not be able to handle the affairs of NUPENG. The union is too big for them. They should honorably resign immediately, especially now that their reputation is dwindling woefully.
“Meanwhile, to our surprise the duo and their ilk dishonorably sneaked into the premises of the PTD secretariat like a thief in the night to display shame and proof that they are unrepentant in abuse of office and flagrant disregard for the rule of law. Elders of the union have been relegated to the background for trying to ask relevant questions on the well-being of the members, but Afolabi has consistently warned these elders to keep their advice.
“Our past leaders and elders who have suffered for the union are dying in the hospitals and seeking help, but the current leadership of NUPENG turned deaf ears to their calls. We therefore appeal to all our members 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 must be hurriedly to stop. United we stand.”
