NUPENG Declares Adams Oshiomhole Persona Non Grata Over Comments on PENGASSAN Strike

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has declared Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), persona non grata over his recent criticism of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and its strike action against the Dangote Refinery.

In a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Olawale Afolabi, NUPENG condemned Oshiomhole’s remarks, describing them as a betrayal of the labour movement and a rationalisation of worker victimisation.

Oshiomhole, during an interview on Arise Television, had labelled PENGASSAN’s industrial action as “ill-considered,” arguing that new private sector investors such as Dangote should be allowed time to stabilise before being subjected to intense labour pressure. He warned that aggressive action against such companies could harm innocent Nigerians and jeopardise job creation.

“In pursuing war, you have to recognise that the tools you deploy must not hurt innocent people, like the tomato sellers who cannot get fuel to move their goods because there is a quarrel between one refinery and one union,” Oshiomhole had said. “If you cripple a business before it even finds its feet, you are also destroying the jobs you claim to protect.”

NUPENG, however, dismissed these comments as insensitive and a betrayal of the workers’ struggle, especially the 800 engineers allegedly sacked by the Dangote Refinery for participating in union activities.

“The leadership of NUPENG hereby declares Senator Adams Oshiomhole persona non grata within the ranks of Nigerian oil and gas workers for the undistinguished denunciation of the PENGASSAN strike,” the statement read.

The union accused Oshiomhole of siding with employers and undermining the constitutional rights of workers to organise and protest.

Describing him as the “Judas Iscariot of Nigerian trade unionism,” NUPENG asserted that Oshiomhole has “irretrievably lost the moral right and legitimacy before Nigerian workers, and particularly oil and gas workers.”

NUPENG also called on the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and civil society organisations to take note of its stance, adding that it will no longer participate in or support any event involving Senator Oshiomhole.

The union reiterated its full support for PENGASSAN and vowed to continue using all legal and industrial mechanisms available to fight for the reinstatement of the sacked workers in line with Nigerian and international labour laws.

Source; Daily Trust