NUPENG leadership crisis: Igwe endorses Akporeha as successor

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) President, Mr. Achese Igwe, at the just concluded National Executive Council (NEC) of the union, endorsed its National Treasurer, Mr. Willy Akporeha, as his successor.

Daily Trust gathered that it is the tradition of the outgoing president to nominate or endorse a successor.

Tuesday, April 6, 2018, has been fixed for elections into the leadership positions of the union.

The union came into public scrutiny last week when one of its arms, Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) raised alarm over elongation of the current leadership’s tenure, led by Igwe, and called on NUPENG’s leadership to urgently set a process of convening a national delegates’ conference on or before March 26, 2018.

Igwe’s two terms tenure expired October, 2017, but was extended for another three months which ended in January, 2018, for preparation for the conference earlier slated for January 12, 2018.

Speaking at the end of the NEC meeting of the union in Lagos, Igwe attributed the allegation of tenure elongation to columnists, who, he made several efforts infiltrate the union.

“The NEC-in-council has resolved to be united and intact. There is no crisis in NUPENG as being speculated. Consequent upon this, our delegates’ conference is going to hold on April 6, 2018,” he said.

Before the meeting, NUPENG’s General Secretary, Joseph Ogbebor, had attributed the delay in holding the delegate’s conference to global oil glut and insecurity, saying the issues had adversely depleted the membership strength fifth said to and finances of the union.

Ogbebor said the union had set up various committees working round the clock to give members befitting elections.

On the sidelines, the NUPENG President, Achese Igwe, said the union frowned at Federal Government’s refusal to inaugurate a former Secretary General of NUPENG, Chief Frank Kokori, as chairman of the board of Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Igwe, therefore, called on the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, to inaugurate the board of the fund in order to corruption in NSITF.

He said, “We thank the president for appointing our past leader who has done so much for democracy in the country. Our worry is that other boards have been inaugurated but up to this moment, the NSITF board of which Comrade Ovie Kokori was made the chairman has not been inaugurated. We have series of stories about various nefarious activities that had taken place in NSITF by the previous board. We are also saying no stone should be left unturned because the money in NSITF belongs to the workers.” check