BREAKING: NUPENG, PENGASSAN Dares VC Agbalagba, Pickets FUPRE in Delta

By Elohor Ohworisi

In the early hours of Wednesday, July 23, members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Warri Zone, staged a protest at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

The protest, which began around 6:00 a.m., was aimed at the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Ezekiel O. Agbalagba. The union members stormed the main gate of the university bearing placards with inscriptions such as: “Prof. Ezekiel O. Agbalagba Must Go,” “No to Divide and Rule,” “We Say No to Intimidation and Victimization,” “Earned Allowance is Our Right,” and “Prof. Agbalagba Cannot Teach Us Unionism.”

The protesting workers blocked the main entrance and access roads leading into the university using petrol tankers and trucks. They chanted solidarity songs while dancing around the trucks in what was described as a peaceful demonstration.

Their action followed a circular issued on Monday, July 21, by the Vice Chancellor to staff and students of the institution. The unions described the circular, which was titled “Security Alert and Caution to All Staff and Students” and referenced VC/STAF\&STDS/25/VOL1, as misleading and provocative. According to them, the circular falsely portrayed union members as security threats and allegedly called for armed security presence on campus.

They condemned the VC’s stance, describing it as an abuse of power and a violation of their fundamental rights to freedom of association. The union members also accused Prof. Agbalagba of engaging in anti-union practices, which they labeled as “archaic, repressive, and provocative.”

They warned that unless the Vice Chancellor refrains from further acts of intimidation and harassment, the protest could escalate to a national level.

As at the time of filing this report, the General Secretary of NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale, and his PENGASSAN counterpart, Lumumba Okugbawa, were present at the protest ground but were yet to speak to journalists.

It would be recalled in the controversial memo, Prof. Agbalagba had warned: Be advised that the University Management will not tolerate any action that will jeopardize the peaceful academic environment or undermine the significant achievements of the Visitor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), in maintaining an uninterrupted academic calendar across Nigerian universities.