The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has declared former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, persona non grata following his recent criticism of the strike action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

Oshiomhole, speaking in an interview on Arise Television last Friday, described PENGASSAN’s strike against the Dangote Refinery as “ill-considered.” He urged labour unions to allow new investors, like the Dangote Group, time to stabilise before facing industrial actions.

“In pursuing war, you have to recognise that the tools you deploy must not hurt innocent people, like tomato sellers who can’t get fuel to move their goods because there is a quarrel between one refinery and one union,” Oshiomhole said.
“An employer has to exist, mature, and be strong enough to guarantee good-paying jobs. If you cripple a business before it finds its feet, you’re also destroying the jobs you claim to protect.”

Reacting sharply, NUPENG, in a joint statement signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Olawale Afolabi, condemned Oshiomhole’s comments, accusing him of abandoning the core values of labour activism.

“The leadership of NUPENG hereby declares Senator Adams Oshiomhole persona non grata within the ranks of Nigerian oil and gas workers for his undistinguished denunciation of the PENGASSAN strike against the unjustifiable sack of 800 engineers as punishment for exercising their fundamental right of unionism,” the union said.

According to the statement, the declaration means Oshiomhole will no longer be recognised or allowed to participate in any NUPENG-affiliated events or activities.

“The practical effect of our declaration is that henceforth, we will not participate in or lend legitimacy to any event featuring Senator Oshiomhole,” it added.

NUPENG further urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and civil society organisations to take note of what it called a “betrayal of the working class.”

“Oshiomhole’s denunciation and insensitivity to the plight of 800 engineers is a dangerous toxin designed to weaken the resolve of the working class and strengthen the class enemy,” the union stated.
“His undistinguished position on the PENGASSAN strike qualifies him as the Judas Iscariot of Nigerian trade unionism.”

The union also called on Oshiomhole to retire from making public statements on labour matters, saying he had “irretrievably lost the moral right and legitimacy before Nigerian workers, particularly those in the oil and gas sector.”

The controversy follows the now-suspended strike by PENGASSAN, launched in protest over the alleged unfair dismissal of hundreds of engineers by the Dangote Refinery.