Tanker drivers reject NUPENG leadership as distributors accuse union of extortion

The Lagos Zone of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), a branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has passed a vote of no confidence on the union’s leadership.

The action, taken against NUPENG’s National President, Comrade (Prince) Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, followed accusations of greed, impunity, manipulation, highhandedness, and gross incompetence.

PTD’s stance was reached after an emergency meeting held by the zonal executives on Monday, September 8, 2025, in response to growing tension over allegations that Dangote Refinery and MRS Holdings Limited were resisting unionisation of drivers while deploying 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for nationwide fuel distribution.

At the same time, the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) has levelled fresh allegations of extortion and excessive levies against NUPENG.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, ADITOP’s National President, Alhaji Lawal Dan-zaki, distanced the association from the strike announced by NUPENG, stressing that ADITOP was established to curb what it described as the excesses of NUPENG, PTD, and other levy-collecting bodies operating under the NUPENG umbrella.

According to him, ADITOP has, over the past five years, submitted several petitions to government agencies detailing NUPENG’s alleged unlawful practices. These petitions, he said, were addressed by the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services, the National Security Adviser, and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Dan-zaki alleged that NUPENG thrives on extortion while failing to remit taxes to the Federal Government.

“NUPENG, PTD, and other groups under its umbrella extort ADITOP members and depot owners one naira per litre on every product loaded in depots. Beyond that, PTD also imposes an additional one naira per litre on products loaded by any marketer, alongside loading charges ranging from N80,000 to N100,000 per truck.

“This is outright extortion and amounts to economic sabotage carried out by NUPENG, PTD, and their affiliated unions,” he declared.