NUPENG Declares Adams Oshiomhole “Persona Non Grata” Over Comments on PENGASSAN Strike, Labels Him “Judas Iscariot of Nigerian Trade Unionism”

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has declared Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and current lawmaker representing Edo North, persona non grata within the Nigerian oil and gas sector. The declaration follows Oshiomhole’s recent remarks condemning the strike action embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against the Dangote Refinery.

In a strongly worded statement jointly signed by NUPENG’s President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Olawale Afolabi, the union expressed deep disappointment over Oshiomhole’s comments, accusing him of “rationalising the victimisation of workers” for exercising their fundamental rights to association and peaceful protest, rights he once championed as a labour leader.

Daily Trust had earlier reported that Oshiomhole, during an interview on Arise Television last Friday, criticised PENGASSAN’s recent industrial action, describing it as “ill-considered.” He argued that new private sector investors such as the Dangote Group should be given sufficient time to stabilise before facing intense labour confrontations.

“In pursuing war, you have to recognise that the tools you deploy must not hurt innocent people, like the tomato sellers who cannot get fuel to move their goods because there is a quarrel between one refinery and one union,” Oshiomhole stated.

He further added that, “An employer has to exist, mature and be strong enough to guarantee good-paying jobs. If you cripple a business before it even finds its feet, you are also destroying the jobs you claim to protect.”

However, NUPENG, in its fiery response, said Oshiomhole’s statements were “a monumental betrayal of the cause of the working class,” asserting that the former NLC President had lost every moral right to speak on labour issues.

According to the statement, “The leadership of NUPENG hereby declares Senator Adams Oshiomhole persona non grata within the ranks of Nigerian Oil and Gas Workers for the Undistinguished denunciation of the PENGASSAN strike against the unjustifiable sack of 800 Engineers as punishment for exercising the fundamental right of unionism.”

The union further announced that “henceforth, we will not participate in or lend legitimacy to any event featuring Senator Oshiomhole,” while calling on the NLC, TUC, and all civil society organisations to take note of its position.

Describing Oshiomhole’s stance as “a dangerous toxin designed to weaken the resolve of the working class and strengthen the class enemy,” NUPENG reaffirmed its “unwavering solidarity with PENGASSAN and the over 800 unjustly dismissed workers,” vowing to “deploy every legal and industrial instrument available to us, in full compliance with Nigerian law and global labour standards, to secure justice.”

In a scathing conclusion, NUPENG likened Oshiomhole to the biblical Judas, stating that “the Undistinguished position of Adams Oshiomhole on the PENGASSAN strike qualifies him as the Judas Iscariot of Nigerian Trade Unionism.”

The statement ended with a sharp rebuke: “What a monumental betrayal of the cause of the working class! We advise Senator Adams Oshiomhole to retire from commenting on labour matters, as he has irretrievably lost the moral right and legitimacy before Nigerian workers, and particularly oil and gas workers.”

With this declaration, NUPENG has effectively cut off all future affiliations with the former labour icon, marking a dramatic fallout between Oshiomhole and the very movement he once led.