National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers has commended its essential service members for ensuring uninterrupted supply of petroleum products to every part of the country during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The union, however, criticised the harassment and intimidation of oil company workers by security agents. They made a call to oil companies and the Department of Petroleum Resources to provide adequate security passes for the workers.
NUPENG in a statement by its President and General Secretary, Prince Williams Akporeha and Olawale Afolabi, respectively, said petroleum tanker drivers, petrol station workers, petroleum products depot workers, oil and gas suppliers, and liquefied petroleum gas retailers, had made NUPENG and the entire labour movement proud as they moved through difficult and dangerous situations to ensure fuel supply to Nigerians.
The statement read in part, “The leadership of NUPENG has reviewed the roles of our members in the front line in this critical period as Nigerians fight to contain the spread of the deadly and contagious coronavirus pandemic and we are proud to say our members on essential services have made us proud.
“In fact, not only have they made NUPENG and the United Labour Congress of Nigeria proud, our petroleum tanker drivers and others have made the entire labour movement proud by continuing to ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products to every nooks and cranny of the country despite the difficult and sometimes, dangerous situations as most states across the country are on lockdown.
“Once again, we appeal to state governments, security agents and Nigerians, in general, to cooperate with members of our unions who are risking their lives to provide essential services in the nation.”
NUPENG also appealed to corporate organisations to provide sanitizers and other safety kits to members of the union on essential services, to protect them and members of their families.
It stated, “We want to use the opportunity to call on oil companies and the DPR to provide an adequate pass to our members on essential services to end the harassment and intimidation they are being subjected to by security agents across the country.”
