The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike over the deplorable condition of some roads in the country.
NUPENG said this in reaction to the tanker explosion on the Warri–Benin expressway in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State which led to the death of no fewer than eight persons.
Seven other persons were injured in the incident which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, October 1, 2023.
The Star had reported that the explosion occurred after a spark from a faulty vehicle while the victims were scooping fuel that spilled from the tanker.
However, NUPENG, in a statement issued on Monday by its President and General Secretary, Williams Akporeha, and Afolabi Olawale, respectively, threatened to direct its members to withdraw their services nationwide to protest the deplorable condition of roads across the country.
It said the accident occurred as a result of the deplorable condition of the Warri-Benin expressway, noting that the union was “saddened by this unfortunate regular occurrence”.
Commiserating with the families of the victims of the tanker explosion, NUPENG added: “This was an avoidable and unfortunate tragedy that wouldn’t have happened if our political leaders aren’t so callous, irresponsible, and insensitive to the plight of the ordinary masses they claim to be leading and representing.
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“Without any doubt, this was an accident that waited so long to happen, and the leadership of our great union did so much to avert it. We spent workers’ hard-earned money to put hardcore stones and sands several times on many portions of this highway every year to make it passable for our members and other road users.
“We made several advocacy calls and campaigns for repairs of these roads and even issued threats of industrial actions to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the tragic accident-in-waiting, yet no response until this happened.
“We even took the campaign for repairs of these roads into different federal and state Government Houses, even as recent as our visit to the governor of Delta State just two weeks ago, precisely on September 19, 2023.
“We make bold to say though these roads are federal roads, the accidents and tragedies like these are definitely local and state calamities.
“No governor or government officials should shed any crocodile tears in this matter. The blood of our tanker drivers, members, and other people who died in this tragic accident is on their hands, especially the former minister of works and housing who spent eight years on the job without any meaningful improvement to the deplorable condition of the highways.
“This tragic accident that happened on our national independence day speaks volumes about our nation’s appreciation and commitment to the sanctity of human lives. Nigerians are being wasted every day through the callousness, insensitivity, and negligence of those we entrusted our lives.
“The leadership of the union finds it so disturbing, that in spite of the daily carnages recorded on Nigerian highways, the federal and state governments have remained insensitive to the plights and suffering of the poor masses that commute on these deplorable and failed highways on daily bases to convey goods and services.”
The union further called on the federal and state governments to “immediately commence the rehabilitation of all the failed roads in the country to save the poor masses from these avoidable experiences and deaths.”
“We earnestly plead with the general public to bear with us, should we in the next couple of weeks decide to take some decisive steps towards making both the federal and state governments do the needful on our roads to avoid further similar tragedies and save lives and properties of other people,” it added.
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