The Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Wednesday threatened to embark on a fresh strike after the current three days warning strike declared by the national body, if the state government fails to produce the certify copy of the conviction used in prosecuting its members for minor traffic offenses.
Addressing a press conference at the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) office, Apata, Ibadan, the Deputy National Chairman of the Petrol Tankers Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG, NNPC, Apata, Ibadan, Comrade Salimon Oladiti said though the state government released its member who was arrested on Tuesday, but that they were not satisfied unless the government produces the copy of his conviction.
Oladiti wondered why a member of its union would be arrested and prosecuted by the environmental tribunal rather than the police whom he said, had the right to do so.
He said: "We want to know why he was earlier convicted, we are not satisfied with their judgment and may resolve to go on another strike if the state government does not desist from infringing on the fundamental human rights of our members. Why would someone commit a minor traffic offense and will be arrested and tried by an environmental tribunal?
"Oyo State Government has been blackmailing us that our members are illiterates and that we do not know what we are doing. We are well exposed and majority of our members are learned. We know our right and we will fight for them. Until our roads are safer for our members to ply, we do not have any choice than to leave the road for the state government.
"Imagine a tanker driver that wants to discharge its product at a filling station and you suddenly arrest him illegally, that he has committed an offense. We do not belong to any political party but a union, and the right of our members is very germane in our heart because we are the voice of the voiceless, and we shall protect their interest always."
He urged its members in the state to be fully alerted for his directive on when to embark on strike.
Narrating his ordeal, Mr Olaoluwa Olasunkanmi, the petrol tanker driver in question, who was released Wednesday after spending five days at the Agodi Prison following his inability to pay N250,000 fine, told reporters that he was arrested illegally by the state sanitation officers for committing minor traffic offense.
"I was arraigned at the environment tribunal and was giving the option of N250,000 or two months imprisonment, but when none of my family members showed up to pay the bail, I was transferred to gbagi police station before been transferred the next day to Agodi prison," he said
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