The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has denied any form of faction within the union even as it denounced any form of protest.
This is even as the PTD leader who alerted the general public against the news described it as antics of some desperate and mischievous individuals to cause unfounded and panic in the supply chain of Petroleum Products distribution in the country through spreading of fake and false news items.
The president of the body, Comrade Williams Akporeha, who made this known yesterday, said: “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.”
In the same vein, the newly elected PTD chairman, Comrade Augustine Egbon, in reiterating the President warning said: “PTD members are not in any way having any plan to embark on any protest as there is no division in the union as some desperate individuals and their sponsors want to project to the public. The news item is false and unfounded.”
Egbon cited the need to remove anxiety and panic buying of petroleum products as his reason for call.
According to him, “This call is compelled in view of the attention of the leadership of both the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers 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 and we are deeply compelled to quickly to avert any form of panic, that the fake news item is false, unfounded and should be ignored.
“It is intended to create panic in the public and cause artificial scarcity by these desperate individuals. 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/she cannot prove the source and authority of the fake news item which is very capable of creating social upheaval and security concerns.”
