NUPENG to hold national delegate conference in April

THE National Executive Council (NEC) of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) has fixed April 6, 2018, for national delegate conference where elections into the leadership position of the union will take place.

The union came into public scrutiny last week when one of its arms, Petroleum Tanker Driver (PTD) raised alarm over-elongation of the current leadership of the union led by comrade Achese Igwe.

However, Comrade Achese decried the issue of tenure extension, adding that it is constitutional to take a three-month notice or six-month notice to organise the Delegate Conference.

“Of course, our tenure ended this December 2017and at the NEC meeting, it was decided that the Delegate conference will hold on the 6th of April, 2018,” he said.

He said that the Union is united, intact, and there is no crisis despite that the fifth columnists looking for ways to infiltrate into the Union, adding that the Association is a brand that promotes unity.

Last week, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, the National Chairman (PTD) and Comrade Sunday Ochibejivwe, National Secretary of PTD, a branch of NUPENG, said, “after we have thoroughly and carefully, x-rayed and painstakingly examined the recent unfolding developments in the union, we are deeply constrained to write that to avoid the looming and brewing crisis in the union, there is need to urgently set a process of convening the union National Delegates Conference on or before March 26, 2018, that has long been overdue.”

They stated further that “We are all aware that Comrade Igwe Achese and his team of National Executive Council were elected and duly sworn in December 2009 for the first term of four years and re-elected again in October 2013 at the Presidential Hotel, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State for the tenure of four years for the second term.

“He has served the two consecutive terms provided in the union constitution legally ends in October 2017. Yet, Comrade Igwe Achese and his team illegally extended the tenure beyond Oct.2017, where at a Central Working Committee (CWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) meetings of the union in December 2017 the matter generated heated debate.

“The General Secretary requested for the grace of 90 days within which he will convene the National Delegates Conference. A request that was in breach of the union constitution because there was no justification whatsoever for it.

Unfortunately again, the 90 days expired on 3rd of March, 2018, yet no date or venue has been communicated to members or branches for the National Delegates Conference. It is very obvious that there is a ploy to create disaffection and avoidable industrial relations crisis looming in the oil and gas industry with all these actions.”

PTD, however, notified NUPENG Secretariat that of it does not convene national delegates conference by March 28, 2018, where new officers will be elected,  “the leadership of the PTD Branch of the union will not hesitate to take every necessary step needed to restore the constitutionality and integrity of our great union.

We are also by copy of this letter, requesting the Honorable Minister of Labour and Productivity, Hon Minister of State for Petroleum, Director of State Security Services, Inspector General of Police, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Registrar of Trade Union to urgently apprehend the impending intraunion and industrial relation crisis in the oil and gas industry by immediately compelling the General Secretary to convene the National Delegates Conference of NUPENG on or before March 28, 2018.”