NUPENG, Rivers close to a truce over tanker drivers’ lockdown

National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Rivers State government are perhaps close to a truce over the two weeks tanker drivers’ strike, which has completely paralysed fuel supplies to the state.

Igwe Achese, president of NUPENG, speaking after a meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, thanked the governor for intervening in the conflict between union and oil companies in the state over the sack of NUPENG members.

Over a week ago, NUPENG’s acting zonal chairman, Port Harcourt zone, Charles Eleto, called out NUPENG members over the sack of about 300 workers by two oil companies in Port Harcourt.

The companies are Hilong Engineering Nigeria Limited and Uniterm Nigeria Limited, as Eleto said they would continue their strike until their sacked members were recalled.

Achese informed the governor of the tank farm being constructed by NUPENG at Eleme, and appealed to the governor to facilitate the release of the certificate of occupancy for the project site.

Meanwhile, Governor Wike has advised labour unions to use strike as the last option in trade disputes to stem the tide of development challenges witnessed, as a result of the frequency of strikes.

BEN EGUZOZIE