The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has strongly criticized Senator Adams Oshiomhole over his comments on the dispute between Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN. In a joint statement, NUPENG’s National President, Comrade Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, described Oshiomhole’s remarks as a “reprehensible attack on the fundamental rights of Nigerian workers” and a “blatant distortion of established labour laws.”
The union expressed disappointment that a former labour leader could now be seen as a “staunch defender of corporate oppression,” undermining the rights he once fought to protect. NUPENG noted that Oshiomhole’s comments misrepresented Nigerian labour law and International Labour Organisation, ILO, conventions. The union questioned Oshiomhole’s authority to lecture on strategy or morality, given his past actions and statements.
NUPENG also challenged Oshiomhole’s claims about his resignation timeline from the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, stating that he held both the NLC Presidency and NUTGTWN General Secretary roles from 1999 to 2007. The union accused Oshiomhole of “rewriting history” to align with his current stance in favour of capitalists who reject trade unions.
The union criticized Oshiomhole for admitting to having “limited knowledge of the issue” before denouncing the PENGASSAN strike, describing his actions as “irresponsible and deplorable.” NUPENG cited legal frameworks protecting workers’ rights, including Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which guarantee freedom of association and protect workers’ right to unionize without interference.
NUPENG rejected Oshiomhole’s suggestion of a “moratorium on unionization,” calling it “an absurd, regressive idea with no basis in modern democracy.” The union challenged Oshiomhole to cite any section of the Labour Act or other legislation supporting such a provision. NUPENG described Oshiomhole’s stance as a case of “historical revisionism and selective amnesia,” reminding that the Trade Unions Act recognizes trade disputes, including sympathetic industrial actions.
The union declared Senator Oshiomhole “persona non grata” among Nigerian oil and gas workers due to his denunciation of the PENGASSAN strike and the unjust sacking of over 800 engineers as retaliation for unionizing. NUPENG stated that it would not attend or endorse any event featuring Oshiomhole, urging other labour organizations and civil society groups to do likewise. The union stands in support of PENGASSAN and the dismissed engineers, vowing to deploy all legal and industrial tools to achieve justice.