Varsity maintains non-recognition of PENGASSAN, NUPENG
Members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Warri Zone, yesterday, shut down activities at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State, accusing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ezekiel Agbalagba, of attempting to criminalise lawful union activities.

Oil tankers were used to block the university’s main gate, as protesting oil workers barred vehicles from entering or leaving the institution.

Protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, including “Prof. Agbalagba Must Go,” “No to Intimidation and Victimisation,” “Stop Divide and Rule Tactics,” and “Pay Earned Allowances Now,” amongst others.

The protest, The Guardian learnt, was sparked by a circular issued by Prof. Agbalagba on Monday, July 21, titled, “Security Alert and Caution to All Staff and Students.”

HOWEVER, the FUPRE has reaffirmed its position on the non-recognition of PENGASSAN and NUPENG as staff unions within the institution.

Established in March 2007, FUPRE is Africa’s first petroleum university and the sixth of its kind globally. Despite its oil and gas focus, FUPRE is under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Education, not the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, making its industrial relations structure more aligned with academic institutions than petroleum-sector organisations.

A key development reinforcing this position came through a 2021 judgment by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), which dismissed a suit by PENGASSAN seeking legal recognition to unionise senior staff at the university.

The court, presided over by Justice B.B. Kanyip, ruled that FUPRE falls outside PENGASSAN’s jurisdiction as outlined under Nigeria’s Trade Unions Act.