A fresh disruption may hit Nigeria’s edible-oil supply chain as the National Union of Edible Oil Tanker Drivers of Nigeria (NUEOTDN) has threatened a total shutdown from September 22 over alleged jurisdictional encroachment by the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ (PTD) arm of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

The union said the proposed industrial action could disrupt the transportation and distribution of edible oil across the country if the Federal Government fails to intervene and resolve the dispute within seven days.

NUEOTDN also raised concerns over the alleged use of petroleum-product tankers to transport edible oil, warning that the practice could create food-safety and contamination risks if appropriate cleaning and conversion procedures are not followed.

In a statement signed by its President, Ilias Aperun, the union called on the Federal Government, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to urgently intervene.

Aperun said the union was particularly concerned about what it described as the growing use of petroleum-product tankers to convey edible oil.

According to him, petroleum products and edible oils require fundamentally different handling and transportation standards, stressing that food-grade products should be conveyed in dedicated tankers.

He said: “A tanker previously used for petroleum products may pose serious contamination and hygiene concerns if it is subsequently deployed to carry food-grade products without an appropriate, verifiable and food-safety-compliant cleaning and conversion process.”

NUEOTDN said its members operate dedicated tankers for edible oil and other food-grade products, identified by registered leaf-green and tomato-red colours and maintained specifically for that purpose.

The union urged the government to establish and enforce clear national standards distinguishing food-grade tankers from petroleum-product tankers.

It also demanded that tankers used for petroleum products should not subsequently be deployed to transport edible oil without meeting appropriate food-safety requirements.

Aperun said the union was not opposed to lawful regulation, inspection, hygiene standards or road-safety requirements but objected to what he described as jurisdictional encroachment and interference in the operations of its members.

He said operators and marketers in the edible-oil sector had invested heavily in dedicated tankers and hygiene equipment, while drivers had undergone safe-to-load training with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), as well as safety and hygiene education from relevant regulatory agencies.

The union’s grievance, however, extends beyond food safety to the jurisdictional boundaries of unions operating within the transportation sector.

Aperun said NUEOTDN had previously participated in a conciliation process initiated by the Director of Trade Unions and Industrial Relations, Amos Falonipe, through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

He said that following a conciliation meeting on August 17, the union engaged NUPENG leadership, led by Salmon Oladiti, and the PTD Lagos Zonal Chairman, Saheed Omogbolahan, on September 1 in Lagos.

The meeting, he said, was aimed at resolving the alleged encroachment by NUPENG/PTD into edible-oil depots, but no meaningful resolution was achieved.

He added that the involvement of the Amalgamated Union of Wharf Truck Owners (AUTOWN) had further complicated the dispute.

He said the union was demanding clarity on the jurisdictional scope of NUPENG, NUEOTDN and AUTOWN, enforcement of standards for dedicated food-grade tankers, and respect for its operational jurisdiction across edible-oil depots.

he union said it had formally notified the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment of its decision to embark on industrial action from September 22 if the matter remained unresolved.

“The proposed action is intended to compel urgent government intervention and a definitive resolution of the jurisdictional enforcement,” he said.

Aperun said the action would be peaceful and conducted in accordance with applicable Nigerian law, stressing that emergency and essential services would be respected.

The union appealed to the government and other stakeholders to act before the proposed shutdown disrupts the nation’s edible-oil supply chain.

“We do not want a disruption of the nation’s edible-oil supply chain. But we cannot continue to watch silently while NUPENG (PTD) continues to endanger the lives of Nigerians,” it said.