By Emma Njoku
A prominent member of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Union (PTD), Olaitan Idris, has warned of an impending crisis over some elements, who have continued to parade themselves as elected executive officers of the union, in total breach of recent court order that a genuine election should be conducted to enthrone credible officers of the union.
He alleged that those claiming to be elected officers merely sat in a private meeting and arrogated official positions to themselves, in disobedience of a subsisting court order, believing that they would use money to buy their way into the leadership of the union. He cautioned that their action must be stopped, forthwith, in order to avert serious riot among members of the union.
Tracing the genesis of the division in the union, Olaitan said trouble started after a former national chairman of the union, Otunba Salmon Akani Oladiti completed his tenure and refused to give way to his deputy, Lucky Osezua.
“He insisted on signing the union’s cheques and controlling activities at the Lagos Zone, where he was a former chairman. In fact, he skilfully orchestrated plans to remain relevant and recruited allies, who engaged top officials of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) with a view to getting their support.
“The first thing they did was to change our bye-laws without a memorandum to suit his desperate ambition to become the next NUPENG President. They continued their personal agenda in total breach of our bye-laws and they disorganised the entire PTD. NUPENG is a mother body of 150 branches. Why should they pitch their tent in the PTD if they don’t have a wicked motive?
“There was supposed to be an election in 2022 after the end of the tenure of the PTD leadership in Lagos State, and the next is Warri Zone; but, instead of conducting a peaceful transition, they connived with a member from Warri and challenged the eligibility of Osezua.”
They went to court and the eligibility of Osezua was confirmed.
“Unfortunately, this did not go down well with the opposers and they connived with NUPENG and took over the affairs of the PTD. I am calling on all relevant government agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to step into the matter because these people are holding our teeming members to ransom. There should be a proper election according to the court order, and all the suspended officers should return to their various duties. The law of labour does not permit all these nonsense and lawless election malpractices. They are politicising the union unnecessarily and they think they can pocket the judiciary.
“Peace will be restored if the right penalty is imposed against those who messed up the court order. The court cannot rule their union, but the court can correct every lawless act in the union. I foresee riot, massive protest and violence, let us reason together. The situation in Nigeria now is terrible, and all arms of the government are trying their possible best to fix things, but, in PTD, a group of vicious cabals are sabotaging the life and income of people. A hungry man is an angry man. If tanker drivers should be allowed to troop into the streets in protest, the economy will suffer.
“We are, therefore, crying out for justice because I know that the cabal has denied a lot of our members their means of livelihood for two years now. “They have lost their properties, living from hand to mouth, and many of them are now bankrupt. What they are doing now is to mislead members of the public and relevant authorities to believe that there was an election. It is criminal and must be treated as such.”