…Vows to uphold union democracy
A major rift has erupted within Nigeria’s oil workers’ union, as over 500 members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Branch have invoked the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Constitution to hold branch elections, defying what they describe as stone-walling and unilateral control by the union’s national leadership under President Festus Osifo.
The staff, under the umbrella of the NMDPRA Congress, have openly rejected the caretaker committee installed by the National Secretariat of PENGASSAN. The decision, announced on June 27, has been described as unconstitutional, undemocratic, and a breach of the union’s internal rules.
In an issued statement released yesterday, the branch accused the PENGASSAN National Secretariat of undermining democratic principles by setting up a Caretaker Committee, in what they claim is a bid to stall constitutionally mandated elections. The move, they argue, violates Schedule 3.3 of the union’s Constitution, which empowers financially up-to-date members to chart their own electoral process when faced with leadership inaction.
“More than two-thirds of our branch signed on. The message is clear: the Constitution is not decorative – it is binding”, the statement read, drawing parallels with key moments in Nigeria’s Labour history, including the 1981 NLC strike, the 1994 oil workers’ revolt, and the 2012 fuel subsidy protests.
They maintained that the branch is peaceful and stable, and that there was no basis for the dissolution of its existing leadership structure.
Unionists say the unfolding standoff is a test of whether PENGASSAN remains accountable to its rank-and-file or slides into what some members call “authoritarian tendencies”.
The statement also called on the union’s Central Working Committee and members nationwide to reflect on what they described as a battle for the soul of organized labor in Nigeria’s vital petroleum sector.
“This is not about personalities; it’s about principles. If PENGASSAN cannot uphold its own laws, how can it fight for fairness in the oil fields, the offices, and the streets”, the branch declared.
When contacted, the caretaker chairman, Tony Iziogba was unable to respond to newsmen’s inquiry as of press time.
