Follow Us on Google
- Warn mischief makers
From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, (NUPENG) and its Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch, (PTD) have denied media reports suggesting that they were warming up for a nationwide strike over purported leadership tussle in both associations, among other issues.
The General Secretary of NUPENG, Mr Olawale Afolabi, in a statement released on Monday, insisted that some mischief makers were hell-bent on overheating the polity by raising a false alarm of an impending products scarcity as a result a purported internal disharmony in NUPENG and PTD, where there was nothing of such.
The NUPENG Scribe tasked security agencies to urgently fish out those behind the fake news, which he was very capable of creating social upheaval and security challenges.
“This press release is compelled in view of the attention of the leadership of both NUPENG and the PTD branch of the union that was drawn to this very misleading, mischievous and unfounded online news of the purported protest of the tanker drivers across the country. We are deeply compelled to quickly release this press statement to avert any form of panic and that the fake news item is false, unfounded and should be ignored.
“It is intended to create panic in the public and cause artificial scarcity by these desperate individuals.
All the Petroleum Tanker Drivers are fully committed to the national services of effective and efficient distribution of petroleum products across the country.
“We earnestly call on the security agencies to urgently fish out the writer of this very misleading and panic creating news items and make him face the full wrath of the law if he/she cannot prove the source and authority of the fake news item.
In similar breath, the National Chairman of the PTD Branch of NUPENG, Augustine Egbon, also attributed the news item to those bent destabilising the supply chain of petroleum products distribution in the country.
He also clarified that there were no cracks in the fold which automatically rules out the need for any form of protests.
“The leadership of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) wishes to alert the general public of the antics of some desperate and mischievous individuals to cause unfounded and dangerous panic in the supply chain of Petroleum Products distribution in the Country through spreading of fake and false news items.
“The Petroleum Tanker Drivers are not embarking on any form of protest and we are determined to continue our services to the nation and wholeheartedly support the efforts of the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to put our economy on the right track for the good of all of us.
We wish to further reiterate the fact that there is no division in our Union and the Branch of Petroleum Tanker Drivers.
