Commercial and other related activities at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Calabar, the Cross River state capital were temporarily disrupted as petroleum tanker drivers marched on the streets, protesting the alleged high-handedness of the leadership of National Union Of Petroleum & Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The protest march took place on Monday, December 18, 2023, and culminated in the announcement of a separate union from NUPENG, which shall henceforth coordinate their activities.
They accused NUPENG of constantly paying lip service to their welfare and also effectively sabotaging efforts at drawing the government’s attention to their plight.
The new body, known as the National Association of Petroleum Tankers Drivers (NAPTAD), according to them, had severed all links with NUPENG by resolving to chart a new course and go their separate ways.
Addressing the media during the protest, the spokesperson for the group, Comrade Ibrahim Isah, said they are resolutely behind the outcome of their national elections, which took place in Abuja recently.
He said henceforth, NUPENG would no longer be allowed to meddle in their affairs as they are determined to stand on their own without being dictated to by a body that is not bothered about their welfare.
According to him, given that all entreaties for a better deal have proved unfruitful in the past, the time has come for them to openly bare their minds for the public to appreciate what they had been going through in the hands of NUPENG.
He said the new Association would be focused on effective engagement with all relevant authorities in the oil and gas sector of the economy towards improving their members’ welfare nationwide.
When contacted on the brewing crisis, the NUPENG representative in Cross River State, Comrade Peter Joshua, simply said that they were not aware of what the tanker drivers’ complaints were all about.
However, he promised to reach out to the media on further developments if the need arises on the issue.
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