TheCable

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petrol Tanker Drivers (PTD) have suspended their industrial action in Rivers State.

NUPENG and PTD had withdrawn their services on Monday over harassment by security operatives, causing fuel scarcity in the state.

However, both unions suspended the strike on Thursday after a meeting convened by Friday Eboka, Rivers commissioner of police and attended by the unions and other stakeholders.

The decision was also contained in a communique signed by Chinda Ejims, who represented the PTD and the representative of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. 

Other signatories were chairmen of Emuhua, Ikwerre and Etche local government areas (LGAs) of the state, respectively.

“The PTD-NUPENG has promised to suspend their strike action Thursday, September 15, 2022, after the necessary consultation on the outcome of the meeting,” the communique reads. 

“The commissioner of police, Rivers State Command, directed the deputy commissioner of police, department of operations to set up a task force headed by an officer not below the rank of superintendent of police, to embark on the arrest of all illegal taskforces operating under the guise of the respective local government areas. 

“The commissioner of police, Rivers State Command, appealed to the executive chairmen of the various local government areas to apply human face in enforcing the provisions of the Rivers state traffic law.”

The unions also were advised to educate their members on the need to report any mechanical breakdown of their trucks to the nearest police station in situations where repairs may exceed the six hours provided for by the law. 

They were also asked “to appoint a member of the union into the state taskforce on illegal bunkering activities so as to ensure timely and transparent inspection of sample products suspected to be from illegal bunkering activities”.

“The commissioner of police, Rivers state has directed that all trucks with clean bill of health from the report of Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority should be released on Friday, unconditionally while owners of product that failed the test will be prosecuted at the end of investigation,” the communique said.

“The commissioner of police, Rivers State Command stated that the resolution of the stakeholders meeting will be communicated to her sister security agencies (EFCC and Nigeria army) not represented at the meeting.” 

It added that the commissioner of police has promised to intervene on the issue of the truck impounded by “IGP taskforce on illegal bunkering to ensure justice prevails”.