— Aggrieved branch petitions Labour Ministry, rejects ‘unconstitutional’ caretaker committee
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is facing a deepening internal crisis as some of its members have accused the National Chairman, Festus Osifo, of engaging in undemocratic practices and violating the union’s constitution.
According to a petition obtained by Naija News, addressed to the Registrar of Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Productivity; members from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) branch of PENGASSAN alleged the body of gross misconduct by the national leadership.
The petitioners, numbering over 523 members, representing more than two-thirds of the NMDPRA branch had accused Osifo and the Association’s general Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, of “abuse of office,” “constitutional violations,” and “interference in the branch’s electoral process.”
“As a branch under the PENGASSAN structure, we have made several efforts to engage the national leadership constructively on matters affecting our members,” the group wrote. “But despite numerous letters and correspondences, our concerns have been met with utter disregard and non-responsiveness.”
The aggrieved members claimed that the national leadership’s recent decision to appoint a Caretaker Committee (CTC) to oversee the affairs of the NMDPRA branch without conducting a proper election was “entirely wrong,” “unacceptable,” and “unconstitutional.”
The documents seen by Naija News, the national body, through a letter dated June 27, 2025, informed the NMDPRA branch of the committee’s appointment. However, the branch swiftly rejected the move, accusing the leadership of undermining internal democracy and the autonomy of branches as guaranteed by the PENGASSAN constitution.
“The continuous actions and inactions of the national leadership amount to an abuse of office and a gross violation of the provisions of the PENGASSAN constitution, especially as it pertains to the rights of branches, democratic engagement, and internal dispute resolution,” the petition added.
The petitioners have now called on the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to step in and “safeguard the integrity of trade unionism” in Nigeria.
The controversy comes amid wider turbulence within PENGASSAN following the recent industrial face-off with Dangote Refinery and conflicting reports about a truce to suspend the nationwide strike.
As of press time, PENGASSAN’s national leadership had not issued an official response to the allegations.
