NUPENG Raises Alarm Over Fake ‘PTD Elders’, Calls for Arrest of Impersonators

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has sounded a stern warning over the activities of individuals it described as impostors, operating under the name ‘PTD Elders’.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its National President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG disowned the group, insisting it is unknown to the union’s constitution and was created to destabilise the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch.

According to the union, the faceless group is being sponsored by “unconscionable capitalists” who have enriched themselves off workers’ labour while seeking to undermine legitimate union activities.

“It has come to our attention that these unscrupulous elements are operating under the nonexistent and illegitimate banner of ‘PTD Elders’ or ‘PTD Leaders’ to deceive, manipulate, mislead, and create confusion within the oil and gas sector and the wider public,” the statement read.

NUPENG stressed that the only constitutionally recognised executive of the PTD branch is led by Comrade Augustine Egbon as National Chairman. It therefore urged members of the public and media to disregard the “fraudulent group” and called on security agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute anyone impersonating PTD leadership.

“There is no known or recognised group within the PTD-NUPENG known as ‘PTD Elders’ or ‘PTD Leaders’. We demand the immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of anyone involved in this fraudulent impersonation to face the full wrath of the law,” the union added.

The alarm comes amid a growing standoff between labour unions and the management of Dangote Refinery. Recently, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) declared a nationwide strike after the refinery allegedly sacked over 800 workers for voluntarily joining the union.

PENGASSAN has since demanded the reinstatement of the affected workers and directed members to cut gas and crude supplies to the refinery, a move the refinery’s management labelled as “economic sabotage.”