21st July, 2025
The attention of the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) has been drawn to the anti-union, reckless and provocative memo issued by the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun, Delta State (Ref: VC/STAF&STDS/25/VOL1, dated Monday 21st July, 2025), with alarming title “Security Alert and Caution to All Staff and Students” calling out armed security men against hapless and defenseless members of NUPENG and PENGASSAN merely agitating for their fundamental human rights to freedom of association and inalienable rights to belong to a Union and Association of their choice.
NUPENG and PENGASSAN condemn in the strongest terms this archaic, repressive and provocative action of the Vice Chancellor and urge Security agencies to ignore this shameful and dangerous call to arms against the workers.
To avoid further escalation of the situation at the Federal University of Petroleum and degeneration into full blown industrial relations crisis, we urgently call on all relevant authorities from His Excellency the Governor of Delta State, who is the Chief Security Officer of Delta State, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment (FMLE), the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil) and Security Agencies to call the Vice Chancellor to order because he is recklessly pushing the entire FUPRE environment and by extension Delta State into an avoidable industrial relations crisis.
This is because if this anti- union posture, threat and victimization is not immediately halted the Union and the Association will not hesitate to escalate the resistance across Delta State and if necessary, the entire nation. Enough is enough!
By this statement we put all our members – NUPENG and PENGASSAN on red alert for further directives.
For: NUPENG AND PENGASSAN
COMRADE AFOLABI OLAWALE COMRADE LUMUMBA I. OKUGBAWA
General Secretary- NUPENG General Secretary- PENGASSAN
