Petroleum tanker drivers strike

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers wing of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), yesterday, embarked on a nation-wide warning strike to protest what they term the "indiscriminate victimisation" of their workers by soldiers and the "mysterious" disappearance of petroleum products.

NUPENG's Lagos Zone chairman, Tokunbo Korede, said the seven days warning strike is coming after a 21-day ultimatum elapsed on November 26, 2010, following a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), the Minister of Labour, and the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Mr Korede said the failure of the government officials at the meeting to apprehend and prosecute the army officials behind the assassination of a tanker driver in Jos and the disappearance of several tankers, along with their petroleum products, within military installations has necessitated them to push their case.

Litany of intimidation

"It is true," he said. "It started this morning (yesterday) after the 21-day ultimatum we gave elapsed. It is a nationwide action with only PTD on strike now. Our member died instantly at a joint check point of army and police officers at Jos because he refused to be extorted. The culprits ran to Bauchi Garrison Command, where our truck was taken. But up till now the culprits have not being brought out and the tanker and the product are no longer to be found."

The union leader mentioned other incidents, in the month of November, in which tankers and products were seized by army personnel, only for them to vanish "with no trace". "In Ibadan, the army seized our truck," he said. "After a week our truck disappeared with no trace. Also, this November in Port Harcourt, the army and police stopped a luxurious bus on the road and that is how the tanker driver ran over some people. The army immediately took our truck to the barracks. We even paid compensation to the people that died. But after some time the truck and the product were no more to be found."

The NUPENG boss says if the federal government does not take the warning strike serious, it could affect the 2011 general elections. "For how long are they going to take to fish out those criminal uniformed men who are behind all this?," he said. "This is a seven-day warning strike for those saying we are working on it to bring out a solution. They need to take us serious because it will be too disastrous for the coming elections.