The Nigeria Union of Petroleum Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has dismissed reports of a planned protest by Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD).
It is reported that the tanker drivers had threatened to break away from its official body, NUPENG, if the current President, Williams Akporeha, and the General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, remain in office.
In a statement on Sunday, an ex-officio of the PTD from Ibadan depot, Gbenga Olawale, said their members would begin a nationwide protest to emphasise their demands.
Olawale said Akporeha is not a member of NUPENG and, therefore, lacked the competence to lead the union.
But in a statement on Monday signed by its General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG said there is no plan whatsoever by tanker drivers to embark on any protest.
The union stated that the rumour of a planned nationwide protest is the handiwork of desperate individuals to create public panic and cause artificial fuel scarcity.
NUPENG said there is no division in the Union as some desperate individuals and their sponsors want to make the public believe and advised the public to ignore such rumour.
The statement reads:
“The leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Union are hereby informing the general public that there is no plan whatsoever by the Petroleum Tanker Drivers to embark on any protest.
“There is no division in the Union as some desperate individuals and their sponsors want to project. The information is false and unfounded.
“This clarification is compelled in view of the attention of the leadership of both the NUPENG and PTD Branch of the Union that was drawn to this very misleading, mischievous and unfounded online news of the purported protest of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers across the country.
“The news item is false, unfounded and should be ignored. It is intended to create panic in the public and cause artificial scarcity.
“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 item and make him face the full wrath of the law if he or she cannot prove the source and authority of the fake news item, which is very capable of creating social upheaval and security concerns.”
