NUPENG alleges forceful ejection of members from oil rig

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has alerted the Federal Government, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Department of State Security (DSS) that the Nigerian military and other armed security forces are being contracted to illegally and forcefully evacuate workers, who are its members, from the Oritsetimeyin Rig, for demanding the implementation of an agreement duly reached.

NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, in a statement, yesterday, accused Dutchford E&P Selective Marine Services and its labour contractors who are the operators of the Oritsetimeyin Rig of habitually running away with workers’ terminal benefits.

While urging the Federal Government to come to the union’s aid by calling the military and other security agencies to order, the union noted that the issue was purely an industrial relations matter and not warfare, hence the union should not be intimidated into abdicating its responsibility.

According to Akporeha, the forceful ejection of the workers from the Oritsetimeyin Rig may lead to unexpected casualties of the workers, which will be catastrophic and must be avoided at all costs.

He stated how NUPENG had written earlier on the antics to the office of NSA and DSS on the issue and warned that the companies were reaping off Nigerian workers.

He alleged that the oil firms have disregarded Nigerian institutions, severally displayed disrespect to the country’s key institutions and refused to obey the agreement reached by all parties to pay workers their severance packages.

“It is important to let the general public know that these agreements were reached at various meetings convened by the NUPRC, where workers and the union were also assured by the leadership of these institutions that Dutchford E&P, Selective Marine and its labour contractors, will not be allowed to renege on the agreement that was finally signed, on October 7, 2024,” it stated.