Olayiwola Matthew
Some members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) are accusing their National President, Festus Osifo, of engaging in “undemocratic conduct and constitutional violations.”
In a petition submitted to the Registrar of Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, workers from the NMDPRA branch of PENGASSAN also faulted General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa for what they said were similar infractions.
The petitioners stated that they had repeatedly attempted to engage national leadership over issues affecting their branch, in conformity with the union’s constitution, but had been met with continuous silence and disregard.
“Numerous letters and correspondences” sent to national leadership, they claim, went unanswered and were ignored.
According to their complaint, the national leadership’s actions amount to abuse of office and breach of union provisions governing internal democracy, branch rights, and dispute resolution.
The group, which comprises over 523 members—more than two-thirds of the NMDPRA branch—rejected a caretaker committee the national body appointed to oversee their affairs, calling the appointment “entirely wrong,” “unacceptable,” and “unconstitutional.”
They alleged the national leadership had circumvented branch elections by instituting the caretaker committee without due process, prompting the branch to resolve to conduct its own election.
When that proposal was escalated to the Minister of Labour, the minister issued a letter on August 15, 2025 asking for calm and pausing the branch’s planned election while mediation was ongoing.
Nevertheless, members say the central Working Committee (CWC) quickly inaugurated the caretaker committee, contravening the minister’s directive and continuing with what they view as unconstitutional acts.
They have appealed to the federal government to step in and intervene to preserve the integrity of unionism, internal democracy, and due process within PENGASSAN.
Credit: The Cable
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