The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has declared former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President and serving senator, Adams Oshiomhole, persona non grata for what it described as his “shameful betrayal” of workers’ struggles following his recent comments attacking labour unions over their strike action against Dangote Refinery.
In a statement, NUPENG expressed outrage that Oshiomhole, once a leading figure in Nigeria’s labour movement, could now be seen “rationalising the victimisation of workers for exercising their constitutional rights to association and peaceful protest.
The group described Oshiomhole’s remarks as hypocritical and disgraceful. Recall that Adams Oshiomhole when he was speaking recently as a guest at Arise News TV said: “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.
“An employer has to exist, mature and be strong enough to guarantee good-paying jobs. If you cripple a business before it even finds its feet, you are also destroying the jobs you claim to protect.”
Reacting via a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and the General Secretary, Olawale Afolabi, NUPENG said henceforth, Oshiomhole will not participate in or lend legitimacy to any of its events again.
“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 against the unjustifiable sack of 800 Engineers as punishment for exercising the fundamental right of unionism.
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