The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has dismissed claims made by a group calling itself the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA), describing it as a management-inspired association.
The clarification followed a report aired on Arise Television on Saturday, September 6, 2025, and published in some newspapers, where DTCDA urged Nigerians to disregard NUPENG’s recent alert on a possible withdrawal of services by its Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch.
In a statement signed by NUPENG’s National President, Comrade Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, the union insisted that DTCDA is not a legitimate trade union but “a management-created association” aimed at weakening NUPENG’s influence among tanker drivers.
The union argued that only NUPENG is statutorily recognized to unionise petroleum tanker drivers in Nigeria, and warned its members and the public against being misled.
NUPENG questioned the credibility of the DTCDA leadership, pointing out that the group’s president, Barrister Enoch Kanawa, is a lawyer and not a tanker driver. According to the union, Kanawa previously served as Executive Secretary of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) between 2001 and 2012 before becoming Legal Adviser to MRS Energy Limited, owned by Dantata. The union further alleged that Kanawa contested unsuccessfully for the presidency of NARTO in 2019 with Dantata’s backing.
“These facts show without doubt and beyond controversy that the DTCDA is a management-inspired association,” NUPENG said, stressing that its members remain united and committed to their cause.
The union alleged that the DTCDA was initially registered as Dangote Transport Company and that its office address at 2, Tin Can Island Port Road, Apapa, Lagos, is the same as that of MRS Energy Limited.
Accusing Dantata of attempting to impose “slavish working conditions” on drivers, NUPENG likened the move to “modern-day slavery,” warning that workers must retain their right to freely associate with a legally recognized union.
“Slavery ended centuries ago but some unscrupulous capitalists are making efforts to bring it back,” the union said.
“Any worker who cannot exercise the right of association is no better than a slave. Ordinary Nigerians should neither encourage nor support slavish working conditions.”
The statement reaffirmed NUPENG’s solidarity, concluding with its trademark slogan: “Our solidarity remains constant, for the union makes us strong.”
