The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG has taken a swipe at the General Secretary of the Union, Afolabi Olawale, for calling its members “public goats”.
Afolabi had reportedly, during an interview that he granted a national television a few weeks ago, categorised the PTD members as public goats.
National Chairman of PTD and his deputy, Comrade Lucky Osesua and Comrade Dayyabu Garga, in a jointly signed press statement, said on Tuesday that incessant use of derogatory phrases and words against their members at Unit, Zonal, and National levels was a reflection of failed leadership, arrogance, and lack of men of honour at the helms of the union’s affairs.
The PTD national leaders also demanded a retraction of the offensive words by the General Secretary, stressing that failure to do so would further strip him of any honour.
The leaders also stated that as a man of honour and for the place of history, he needed to make the necessary amends in the interest of the union.
“It was a total display of shame to see Afolabi Olawale, the General Secretary of a Union like NUPENG, describe those he claimed to have organized in the informal sector of the union, as public goats.
“He brazenly made the comment without restraint because he is used to it. He loves using demeaning phrases and terms anytime he talks about PTD. He loves calling us illiterate people, scavengers, etc.
“In the same interview, he even said nobody takes care of Tanker Drivers because most of their employers are not properly structured; then as chief organizer himself, it shows he has failed in his core and statutory responsibilities, if in 2024, PTD members are still not well structured so much that their employers will find it difficult to take care of drivers’ well-being and welfare, then it will be fair to conclude that Afolabi is completely a total misfit, a neophyte occupying the seat of General Secretary of NUPENG.
“Unfortunately, he made the disrespectful remarks openly to the surprise of the whole world while also exposing his own incompetence, failure, arrogance, lack of honour, and integrity.
“The question-and-answer session on TVC was an opportunity for him to prove himself as an upright leader, but his many nauseating gaffes, snafus, unintelligible mumbo jumbo and meaningless reactions extremely showed that he is a wrong man for the job of NUPENG General Secretary.
“We therefore admonish him to retract the insults passed on us, and failure to do so will further strip him of any honour left in him, and for the price he owes history, he must make the necessary amends in the interest of NUPENG and trade unionism as a whole.
“It is, however, on record that Afolabi has no regard for the basic norms of human conduct. He lacks any self-awareness or self-scrutiny. He seems beyond embarrassment. The only moral and social compass he follows is his own false and fraudulent ideas about what is appropriate and inappropriate, shameful or deceitful.
“As we have said before, Afolabi Olawale cannot try to take the credit as if the health insurance scheme, which he is currently hyping was his brainchild. What he is currently championing lacks acceptability, consultation, education and due process. He and his ilk are only using coercive force to lure our members into it, which is against the good intent of the health insurance scheme.
“Our reaction underscores the lack of attraction in the NUPENG programmes and policies which ostensibly lack direction, sincerity and purpose as it is being orchestrated by the current leadership under Afolabi Olawale (General Secretary) and Williams Akporeha (President).
“We therefore urge our members to take informed decisions about their welfare, health, life, wellbeing, and livelihoods and never allow anyone to tricklishly distort their destinies through thoughtless, fishy, self-imposed and questionable scheme.
“We also take this opportunity to inform all PTD members across board that we are very close to judicial victory whereby things will be done by a constitutionally recognized and legitimate leadership of Comrade Lucky Osesua and Comrade Dayyabu Garga through the grace of God Almighty and the support of all our members and other relevant stakeholders” the statement said.
