The Minister of Labour and Employment, Hon. Muhammad Maigari Dangyadi, has urged the newly elected president of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Salimon Oladiti, to build on the achievements of his predecessor, Comrade Williams Akporeha.
Dangyadi delivered the admonition in a goodwill address at NUPENG’s 6th Quadrennary Delegates Conference in Lagos, where Oladiti and 15 other officials were returned unopposed for a four‑year term. Represented at the conference by Falonipe Amos, Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations (TUSIR), the minister highlighted the historically harmonious relationship between NUPENG and the upstream, mid‑stream and downstream sectors of the oil industry.
“The Federal Government values NUPENG’s contributions to national development,” Dangyadi said, stressing that dialogue should remain the preferred vehicle for advancing members’ welfare rather than confrontation. He praised Akporeha’s “commitment to constructive dialogue” and called on the new executive to emulate that approach to preserve industrial peace.
In his acceptance speech, Oladiti thanked Akporeha for milestones that included improved remuneration, the construction of a national secretariat, health and life insurance for staff, and an insurance scheme for tanker drivers. “Your dedication, sacrifices and steadfast leadership have laid a strong foundation upon which we shall continue to build,” Oladiti declared, pledging to strengthen the union, protect the dignity of labor and collaborate with the government, labor‑friendly employers and other social partners to enhance the welfare and working conditions of members nationwide.
Akporeha, in a farewell address, urged the incoming leadership to maintain industry harmony through robust engagement, better pay and welfare improvements. He noted that when he assumed office the secretariat was staffed by a demoralised, ageing workforce, but under his tenure many staff retired with full entitlements, new personnel were recruited, promotions were granted, and a revised collective bargaining agreement raised salaries. He also highlighted the completion of the NUPENG Towers in December 2024 as a symbol of the union’s progress.
Trade Union Congress (TUC) President and head of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Festus Osifo, also paid tribute to Akporeha, describing him as a trusted ally whose tenure saw “the two unions become inseparable.” Osifo noted that remuneration for members of International Oil Companies quadrupled over the past four years and attributed the gain to coordinated efforts between NUPENG and PENGASSAN.
The minister’s message and the new leadership’s commitments underscore a continued emphasis on collaborative industrial relations in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with implications for the broader economy and the welfare of millions of workers.
