Build On Your Predecessor’s Legacy, Minister Urges New NUPENG President

Minister of Labour and Employment,  Hon. Muhammad Maigari Dangyadi, has urged the newly elected president of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, to build on the legacy of his predecessor, Comrade Williams Akporeha.

The minister gave the advice in a goodwill message at the weekend during NUPENG’s 6th Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Lagos.

Oladiti and 15 others were elected unopposed to serve a four‑year term as national officers of the umbrella body representing junior workers in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Through the director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations (TUSIR), Falonipe Amos, the minister recalled the warm and harmonious relationship between NUPENG and stakeholders across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. He urged the new president and his team to maintain that template of cordial industrial relations.

While encouraging vigorous pursuit of members’ interests, particularly improved welfare, he stressed that dialogue should not be abandoned for confrontation.

“The federal government values NUPENG’s contributions to national development,” he said.

“Comrade Akporeha’s commitment to constructive dialogue while agitating for workers’ welfare is exemplary. He contributed meaningfully to industrial harmony. We urge the incoming executive to take a cue from this,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Comrade Oladiti praised his predecessor for his landmark achievements, including improved remuneration, a befitting national secretariat, life and health insurance for union staff and an insurance scheme for tanker drivers.

He pledged to build on that foundation.

“Your dedication, sacrifices and steadfast leadership have laid a strong and admirable foundation upon which we shall continue to build,” he said.

“We assure you that the new leadership under my watch will not disappoint. We are committed to building on the solid progress established by Prince Akporeha’s administration. We shall work tirelessly to strengthen our union and uphold the dignity of labour.

“We will collaborate with the government, labour‑friendly employers and other social partners for the betterment of the Nigerian economy and to improve the welfare and working conditions of our members nationwide.

At the same time, let me assure you that we will not relent in our efforts, using all necessary diplomacy to engage with anti‑union employers in the industry to secure better conditions of service for our members. The rights and welfare of our members will always remain our top priority,” he said.

Oladiti also announced plans to establish a “truth and reconciliation committee” and to work closely with elders and past leaders.

In his welcome address, Comrade Akporeha said thatbalongside promoting industrial harmony through robust engagement, his administration had secured better remuneration and welfare packages for staff, constructed a befitting national secretariat and initiated life and health insurance schemes for staff and tanker drivers.

“When we came into office, the Secretariat was staffed by a demoralised, ageing workforce. Today, many have retired meritoriously with their entitlements paid promptly. Others left voluntarily to pursue education abroad. We recruited new, capable staff, rewarded stagnation with well‑deserved promotions, reviewed salaries under a revitalised staff CBA and provided modern equipment. The crowning achievement — NUPENG Towers — is a brand‑new, conducive workspace commissioned in December 2024,” he said.

In a goodwill message, the president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and president of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Festus Osifo, paid tribute to Comrade Akporeha as a trusted ally in the struggle for members’ welfare.

“PENGASSAN and NUPENG have ever been stronger in the eight years Comrade Akporeha held sway. The two unions became inseparable. Remuneration for our members in the international oil companies has quadrupled in the last four years; our members in NNPCL will attest to that. It wasn’t by trial and error but by concerted effort between NUPENG and PENGASSAN,” he said.