PENGASSAN leadership under fire as members protest ‘illegal caretaker committee’

The leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is facing a serious internal crisis after members of its Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) branch accused the national officers of undermining the union’s constitution.

In a petition to the Registrar of Trade Unions, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, the branch members alleged that Festus Osifo, PENGASSAN’s national president, and Lumumba Okugbawa, the general secretary, had acted “undemocratically” by imposing a caretaker committee (CTC) on their chapter.

The petition, seen by TheCable, claimed that the decision was taken without due consultation and in violation of provisions guaranteeing branches the right to conduct their own elections.

“As a branch under PENGASSAN, we have made several attempts to engage the national leadership on issues affecting our members and the proper administration of our branch,” the petition read. “Unfortunately, our letters and appeals have been ignored, leading to an abuse of office and outright violation of our rights under the union’s constitution.”

With more than 523 signatories, a two-thirds majority of the branch, the group argued that the CWC’s refusal to allow elections amounted to a suppression of internal democracy.

The dispute dates back to June 27, when the national leadership notified the NMDPRA branch that it had set up a caretaker committee to run its affairs. The branch rejected the move, calling it “unacceptable and unconstitutional.”

After several failed attempts to resolve the matter internally, the aggrieved members wrote to the Minister of Labour and Employment, who in an August 15 letter urged them to maintain calm and hold off on elections while his office sought a peaceful resolution.

But the petitioners allege that, despite the minister’s intervention, the national leadership “almost immediately inaugurated the CTC,” an action they described as further evidence of “non-compliance and disregard for the rule of law.”

They called on the federal government to intervene, warning that the situation threatens the credibility of trade unionism and internal democracy within PENGASSAN.