by Ola Williams-
The Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) has leveled serious allegations against the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), accusing the union of extortion and imposing excessive levies on tanker operators in the downstream sector.
The allegations follow a vote of no confidence passed by the Lagos Zone of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch (PTD) against NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale. According to ADITOP, the union’s leadership has been plagued by “greed, rascality, impunity, manipulation, highhandedness, and gross incompetence.”
The Lagos PTD executives took the decision during an emergency meeting on Monday, September 8, 2025, amid mounting tensions over Dangote Refinery and MRS Holdings Limited’s alleged resistance to the unionization of drivers and the rollout of 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for nationwide fuel distribution.
Reacting to reports of a purported strike by NUPENG, ADITOP National President, Lawal Dan-zaki, distanced the association from the action, stressing that ADITOP was founded to “checkmate the excesses of NUPENG, PTD, and other illegal levy collectors operating under the NUPENG umbrella.”
According to Dan-zaki, the association has spent the last five years petitioning multiple government agencies over NUPENG’s alleged illegal activities. “Our petitions have been investigated by the Inspector-General of Police, the State Security Services, the National Security Adviser, and even the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” he said.
Dan-zaki further alleged that NUPENG operates without contributing to government revenue. “NUPENG feeds on extortion, remitting zero taxes to the Federal Government,” he declared.
He explained that tanker operators and depot owners are being forced to bear multiple layers of charges. “NUPENG, PTD, and many other unions and associations hiding under the NUPENG umbrella extort ADITOP members and depot owners one naira per litre of every product loaded in a depot. Additionally, NUPENG, through PTD, collects another one naira per litre of loaded product by any marketer. This is besides loading charges of between N80,000 and N100,000 per truck. This is outright extortion and economic sabotage by NUPENG, PTD, and their affiliated groups,” he alleged.
