Tanker drivers protest, seek break away from NUPENG +Photos

By Wevole Ezin

Tanker drivers in Calabar under the auspices of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association (PTD) have protested demanding for brake away from their mother union (National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers Association)over alleged high-handedness.
The over fifty placard carrying members of the union with inscriptions such as; “NUPENG leave PTF alone, NUPENG are drivers enemy, Afolabi and Oladiti are our problems” said bad leadership was impinging on the activities of the union.

Addressing Journalists yesterday (Monday) in Càlabar, during the protest spokespersons of PTD, Cross River State branch, Ibrahim Osa, and his counterpart Abdulahi Adamu, at the NNPC tank farm Esukutang, Càlabar, rejected imposition of PTD executives.

“Over 40 of our members are suffering in prison curstordy without nobody coming to their rescue or making attempt to intervene in their cases.
“Driver on the Wheels are dying, NUPENG cannot select any Chairman for us.

“Afolabi and Oladiti and our problem. NUPENG are cheating us. We used to do elections in the past, now election period has come Afolabi and co want to impose non driver on us as Chairman.

“As drivers we have driven for with nothing to show. NUPENG show allow us to conduct our elections”. The duo stated.

They accused NUPENG of imposing farmers and carpenters on them even when these people have nothing to do with tanker drivers.

PTD insisted that they are interested to join National Association of Road Transport Owners (NATO), stressing that they have been working with no insurance coverage.

Reacting to the protest in a telephone conversation, representative of NUPENG, Mr. Peter Joshua, simply stated that NUPENG was not aware of any protest that took place in Càlabar by the association.