By Victor AhiumaYoung
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has dismissed insinuations of planned protest by members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, branch of the Union, urging the public not to panic.
In a statement by its General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG advised the public to discountenance such rumour as the handiwork of desperate individuals aimed at creating panic in the public and cause artificial scarcity.
According to the statement “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 items 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.”
Tanker drivers
Similarly, the leadership of PTD, described the purported planned protest as the handiwork of mischief-makers who do not mean well for the country.
In a statement, National Chairman of PTD, Augustine Egbon, among other assertions, said: “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.”
He said the mischief-makers wish “to cause tension 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. Our members are fully committed and United in our collective struggles as we believe that workers united can never be defeated.
“The general public are implored to ignore these mischief-makers and security agencies are hereby called upon to fully investigate this panic creating news items as the citizens are already going through enough tough times and situations.”
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