Metro
NUPENG President insists, there is no crack in PTD branch of the Union
***Says new leadership is the outcome due process
The national leadership of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, (NUPENG,) is not in any crises as being insinuated, the National President of the union Comrade Williams Akporeha has indicated.
Comrade Akporeha made the clarification on Thursday while speaking with journalists in Abuja shortly after the Comrade Augustine Egbon and other national officers of the PTD- NUPENG assumed office at the Branch national secretriat in Abuja.
Investigation revealed that Comrade Egbon and certain members of the branch emerged as new set of national officers last Tuesday at the end of the election held in Ibadan, in accordance with the Constitution of NUPENG and Bye Laws of the Branch, as approved by the National Executive Council of the Union.
Further investigation revealed that the election was sequel to the judgement of Justice Bashir Alkali of the National lndustrial Court of Nigeria, in the Yenagoa Judicial Division, Bayelsa State, which nullified the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG election held on 30th June 2O22 in Ibadan, by NUPENG where Lucky Osesua had emerged as national chairman.
The NUPENG President who maintained that there was no faction in PTD- NUPENG declared that those who were not party to the election held in Ibadan in accordance with the Union Constitution and Bye Laws of the Branch could not lay claim to the national secretriat of the Branch.
He said:”On the issue of whether there is a faction in the PTD Branch of our Union, the fact that you weren’t part of an election process or just because you refused to contest and then go and declare yourself a winner elsewhere doesn’t mean that there is faction.
“To me, those are the antics of some desperate persons who wanted to hijack positions by all means and we have seen their kind of character, in the way they attacked the new national officers of the branch last week.
“If not for the grace of God, some of us would not have been here today but God saved us from their hands and they will face the wrath of the law for the criminal act they perpetrated. That’s not about election, that’s not about trade unionism. It is about criminality . So, I want to say here that as far as NUPENG is concerned, there is one PTD Branch and the leadership of Comrade Augustine Egbon is the one recognized. I want to use this opportunity to implore Nigerians to ignore any criminal going parading himself as national chairman of PTD or saying he is a member of NUPENG or PTD Branch leadership. We don’t know such kind of persons and we urge stakeholders and Nigerians to cooperate with this team which we know as the legitimate executive of
the Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG.”
Earlier while addressing newsmen, the new National Chairman of the Branch, Comrade Egbon, also corroborated the NUPENG President on the processes that led to his emergence as national chairman of the Branch.
He said:”The elections that brought my colleagues and I to this positions was carried out 31st October 2023 at the University of Ibadan Conference Center, Ibadan ni accordance with the Constitution of NUPENG and Bye Laws of our great Branch as approved by the National Executive Council of the Union.
For the records, in compliance with the judgement delivered by Hon. Justice Bashir A. Alkali of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, in the Yenagoa Judicial Division, holden at Yenagoa on Suit No. NICN/YEN/1/2022 which nullified the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG,s election held on 30th June 2022 in Ibadan, Oyo State, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG)convened and peacefully held a special Delegates Conference for the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG today the
31st of October 2023 at the University of Ibadan Conference Center ni Ibadan, Oyo State.
“The Special Delegates Conference fully attended by 712 delegates representing 177 Units of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG from the four Zonal Councils of the Union ni Warri, Kaduna, Lagos and Port Harcourt Zones of our great Union (NUPENG).”
“The Special Delegates Conference was very peaceful and orderly conducted.
At the end of the well conducted elections, I, Comrade Augustine Egbon from Benin Unit of the Warri Zonal Council of the Union was duly returned elected as the National Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Union in accordance with the Bye Law of the Branch and Constitution of the Union.
“Other Officers returned elected after the elections are here with me in this office
today and I want to assure all our members across the Country, critical Stakeholders and the general public that there is no division at all in our Union
and the Branch, our Solidarity remains constant because we know that Workers United can never be defeated.”
General Secretary of NUPENG, Wale Afolabi also disclosed that the displaced executive was not in the dark on the resolution to conduct fresh election in accordance with the verdict of Justice Bashir Alkali.
He recalled that the National Executive Committee of the Union invited the former Branch leadership to a meeting where it was briefed on its resolution to conduct a fresh election in accordance with the outcome of the Court judgement and a five care caretaker Committee was put in place after the dissolution of the executive to pave way for a fresh election.
“On July 26, an Emergency NEC meeting of the Union was convened on the judgement. We invited all members of the former Branch Administrative Council whose election were nullified to a meeting to brief them on the judgement , NEC decision to accept the judgement, the dissolution and the names of the Caretaker/ Election Organizing Committee to oversee the affairs of the Branch and organize the elections.”
“Similarly, on September 20, in Asaba, the meeting Branch Executive Council of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Union was called by the Caretaker Committee to brief the Council on the affairs of the Branch, take reports from the Units and Zones, take decisions on election date, venue and the election guidelines from the National Secretariat. Guidelines were adopted and released with Nomination forms.”
Human rights activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju has issued a scathing response to comments made against him by Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister and former Rivers State governor. Wike had recently accused Adeyanju of being jobless, noting that the activist once sought his support in a bid to become the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national publicity secretary.
During a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Adeyanju didn’t hold back, describing Wike as “a bully and a coward.”
He went on to criticize Wike’s character and political approach, saying, “Wike has never worked anywhere in his life. He is a serial betrayer. The only difference between Wike and Portable is that Portable does not betray people who have helped him.”
Adeyanju praised Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his recent actions against Wike, saying, “I commend Governor Fubara for dealing decisively with him. That’s how to deal with tyrants. Wike is nothing without politics.”
He further expressed his concerns over Wike’s influence, stating, “The reason why he is making so much noise and constituting a nuisance all over the place is because of our political patrimony that he loots. Clowns and charlatans like Nyesom Wike will open their mouths and criticize true activists.”
Adeyanju also highlighted the importance of citizens participating in politics, saying, “Wike wants everyone to leave politics to rogues like him. His idea of nation-building is where people like him control everything. All citizens of conscience should get involved in politics.”
The back-and-forth between Adeyanju and Wike highlights ongoing tensions within Nigerian political circles and has sparked discussions about the role of activists and the nature of leadership in the country.
***Emotional Farewell as Nigeria Mourns a Dedicated Military Leader
Amid deep sorrow and heartfelt tributes, the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, was laid to rest on Friday at the National Cemetery in Abuja.
His burial concluded two days of solemn funeral rites that began in Lagos, marking the end of an impactful military career.
The casket bearing Lagbaja, draped in Nigeria’s green and white, arrived at the cemetery around 3 pm following a funeral service at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
His body was lowered into the earth at 4:41 pm after a ceremony lasting over two hours.
The event was attended by numerous dignitaries, including President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Acting Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru, and other high-ranking officials.
President Tinubu, paying tribute, called Lagbaja’s appointment one of his most significant decisions and announced a posthumous national honor of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) for the late COAS. He urged the military not to lose hope: “Please, do not let death defeat us, and as Commander-in-Chief, I renew my pledge that the country will always support you and your families.”
General Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, echoed this sentiment, calling Lagbaja’s passing a call to strengthen the military’s resolve.
“Let us ensure his sacrifice continues to guide us as we defend this nation. We are resolved to defeat all enemies of the state, whether within or outside,” he stated.
Acting COAS Oluyede expressed personal gratitude for Lagbaja’s mentorship, sharing that he had nominated him for a national honor even while facing illness.
Lagbaja’s funeral rites began with a service of songs at the Army Headquarters Garrison Parade Ground, Mogadishu Cantonment, on Thursday, following the arrival of his body at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from Lagos.
Lt. General Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, served as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff for over a year, having been appointed by President Tinubu in June 2023. He passed away on November 5 after a brief illness, leaving a legacy of dedication and patriotism.
A civil society group, Good Governance Alliance – Nigeria (GGA-N), has condemned the Lagos State government following an alleged invasion of former Transportation Minister Admiral Festus Porbeni’s Lekki property by state officials on Friday morning.
They called for immediate action against alleged breach of court order on Admiral Festus Porbeni’s property.
According to the group, the invasion is in direct violation of a Federal High Court order and sets a dangerous precedent for lawlessness.
In a statement issued by GGA-N representative Nathaniel Obasi, the group reported that officials from the Lagos State Special Task Force forcefully entered Admiral Porbeni’s property at Wole Olateju Crescent around 7:30 am, accompanied by heavily-armed mobile policemen.
Obasi noted that the task force allegedly beat, arrested, and detained several individuals on the premises, placing them in a police vehicle known as ‘Black Maria.’
The statement emphasized that this raid contradicts a Federal High Court injunction prohibiting any disruption at the property and disregards a recent Supreme Court ruling granting federal control over inland waterways and adjacent lands within 100 meters.
Despite Porbeni’s possession of a Federal Certificate of Occupancy, the Lagos State Task Force allegedly threatened to bulldoze structures on the property, sparking concerns over escalating conflicts between state and federal jurisdiction.
GGA-N therefore urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Inspector-General of Police, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and federal agencies overseeing waterways to intervene, asserting that the Lagos State government’s actions could lead to “lawlessness and chaos.”
According to him, the disputed property was previously invaded in 2021.
Obasi claimed that at about 7:30am this Friday, officials from the Lagos State Special Task Force, illegally forced their way into Admiral Porbeni’s property at Wole Olateju Crescent, Lekki, despite the Federal High Court order, which barred any agent from entering the premises or harassing any person at the premises.
It added the Lagos State Special Task Force accompanied by heavily-armed mobile policemen, beat up, arrested and threw staff and other people met on the property into a police vehicle called ‘Black Maria’, which they brought “for the illegal raid”.
“The officials who cordoned off the area are now threatening to bulldoze all structures on the property, in brazen breach of the Federal High Court order (FHC/L/CS/1384/21).
“The actions of the Task Force is also in disregard of the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court in January which affirmed the federal government’s exclusive control of the country’s inland waterways and all lands within 100 meters of all declared federal waterways in Nigeria.
“The question is despite Admiral Porbeni being in possession of a Federal Certificate of Occupancy (CofO), how is the Lagos State Government allowed to flout not only an injunction from the Federal High Court but also a ruling from the Supreme Court?
“The Lagos state government’s brazen disobedience of court orders is a recipe for lawlessness and chaos. We draw the urgent attention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Inspector General of Police, the Governor of Lagos State and relevant federal government agencies in charge of federal waterways in the country to the illegal raid and occupation by the Lagos State Special Task Force,” Obasi stated
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