RE: NLC's BREAKING NEWS ON ARREST OF RIVERS STATE CHAIRPERSON, ALEX AGWANWOR
The leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have read the release by the Acting General Secretary of the Congress dated 4/12/2025 over the arrest of Comrade Alex Agwanwor. We seek to make our position very clear and unambiguous over the matter.
First of all, the membership of the Nigeria Labour Congress is strictly by affiliation made up of registered Industrial Unions and any individual holding any position in the Congress is representing the affiliated industrial Union to which he/she belongs.
Notwithstanding the above, we want to categorically state here that the arrest of Comrade Alex Agwanwor was pursuant to the signed publication of criminal allegation Comrade Alex Agwanwor and his cohorts made to the effect that the leadership of NUPENG planned to kill him (Alex AGWANWOR) and some named persons and cause bloodshed. The said publication can be found on the second to the last paragraph of annexture 1 dated 25th July 2025.
It was on the basis of this publication touching on heinous criminal allegation, which was widely circulated on social media including WhatsApp platform that Comrade Alex Agwanwor personally created that the leadership of NUPENG lodged complaint to the Police. The Police invited him and others on the 7/08/2025 and 24/ 09/ 2025 (see attached) annexture 2 and 3. He refused and failed to honour several police invitations. He and his cohorts caused their Solicitor to write the police seeking to honour police invitation at a specific future date. The date passed without their honouring police invitation. He has been evading arrest ever since then. The issue is therefore clearly not a union dispute. It is strictly a criminal matter which requires investigation. In this era of assassinations, kidnappings and high level of insecurity and violence in the country, we do not think we should allow such weighty allegations to go unaddressed.
The Congress should not encourage criminalities because the person involved happens to be an officer of the Congress. It is precisely because of the status of Comrade Alex Agwanwor that Congress ought to insist he provides proof that NUPENG leadership has planned to kill him and some other named persons and cause bloodshed.
We also wish to put it on record and strongly advise that Congress should not unwittingly cause deep and intractable division within the trade union movement. NUPENG will not expect protection of Congress if it is proven that indeed the leadership has any proven plan to kill any person and cause bloodshed.
In the same way, Comrade Alex Agwanwor should be advised by Congress and his sympathizers to go and defend his innocence.
It will be setting a very bad precedent that Congress will use its name to protect or defend or condone criminalities regardless of who may be involved. Unionism is about defending democratic rights, not about defending criminalities. Congress should not let its name to be associated with defending or protecting or condoning criminal allegations, regardless of the status of the person involved. NUPENG demands an immediate retraction of its publication titled “Breaking News”.
Thank you all.
Our Solidarity remains constant, for the Union makes us strong!
FOR: NIGERIA UNION OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS WORKERS
COMRADE (PRINCE) WILLIAMS AKPOREHA –
NUPENG Executive President
COMRADE AFOLABI OLAWALE – General Secretary
