Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, have directed its members to shutdown all filling stations, truck movement and other operations of its members in Rivers State from tomorrow , Monday, 17th February, 2020.
The directive is in protest against the arrest of two tanker drivers and impoundment of their trucks by a taskforce set up by the Rivers State Government to decongest roads and highways within the State.
Confirming the development, the Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Alex Agwanwor, told our correspondent that two of its members were arrested by the Taskforce, arraigned in a magistrate court and remanded in police custody.
Agwanwor maintained that the directive will stand until the tanker drivers and their trucks have been released.
“Yes, we have directed that all filling stations in Rivers State should be shutdown. We are having issues with the taskforce, they said they’re taskforce on decongestion.
“Our members are the target of this taskforce. Which means that our members will not be able to carry out their legitimate operations freely.
“We have written letters to the Police, the Army and the DSS that our members should be released.
“So we are shutting down our operations until the issues have been resolved.”
Asked what is his message to Nigerians, as the masses will be at the receiving end of the union’s action, Agwanwor who is also the National Treasurer of NUPENG, said the masses should prevail on the government to release his members.
He also disclosed that the union was yet to get a correspondence from the Rivers State Government on the matter.
“It is an industrial issue. As a union, we are to protect the welfare of our members, that is why we are a union. So the masses should also prevail on the government to do the needful, so that we all can go back to work.”
