Business

Tanker Owners Accuse NUPENG of Extortion, Excessive Levies

Published

11 months ago

September 9, 2025

Charles Flames

485 Views

… As PTD Passes Vote of No Confidence on NUPENG Leaders

The Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) has levelled serious allegations against the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), accusing it of extortion and excessive levy collections within the downstream petroleum sector.

In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, ADITOP’s National President, Alhaji Lawal Dan-zaki, strongly dissociated the association from the purported strike action by NUPENG, declaring that ADITOP was originally established to counter what he described as the “excesses” of NUPENG, Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), and other groups allegedly collecting illegal levies under NUPENG’s cover.

Dan-zaki alleged that for the past five years, ADITOP had submitted several petitions to top government agencies—including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation—accusing NUPENG of extortion and illegal financial practices.

According to him, NUPENG and its affiliates impose unauthorized levies on petroleum product distributors, including a charge of ₦1 per litre on every product loaded at depots, and an additional ₦1 per litre by marketers, alongside loading fees ranging between ₦80,000 and ₦100,000 per truck.

“This is outright extortion and economic sabotage by NUPENG, PTD, and their affiliated unions and associations,” Dan-zaki stated.

The allegations surfaced just days after the Lagos Zone of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG passed a vote of no confidence on the union’s national leadership. The vote targeted NUPENG National President, Comrade (Prince) Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, accusing them of “greed, impunity, manipulation, and gross incompetence.”

The internal dissent follows rising tensions over reported resistance by Dangote Refinery and MRS Holdings Limited to unionize their drivers and the rollout of 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for nationwide fuel distribution.

Dan-zaki concluded that while NUPENG continues to feed off these alleged illegal levies, it remits no tax revenue to the federal government, further exacerbating challenges in the downstream sector.

Related Topics:Excessive Levies Extortion Featured NUPENG

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TCN improves Power Supply to Apapa corridors by additional 208MW

The upgrade replaces an outdoor transformer that had served as a stopgap after the original facility, commissioned in 1985, was decommissioned.

Published

14 hours ago

August 18, 2026

OCHEFA

19 Views

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz , says from now Apapa Causeway, Ijora, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa Wharf, Tin Can Island and other major commercial areas, will be having improved power supply.

Abdulaziz made the declaration on Monday during the commission of Ijora and Apapa Road transmission substations in Lagos by additional 208MW .

The project is aimed at improving the volume and reliability of electricity available to distribution companies for onward supply to homes, businesses and industries.

Abdulaziz said that the projects, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank respectively, in partnership with TCN, underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to modernising the transmission network and improving grid stability.

He commended the Ministry of Power, JICA, the Government of Japan, Lagos State Government and other stakeholders for supporting the projects, while appealing for additional grant assistance to upgrade other critical sections of the transmission network.

Speaking at the commissioning, Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, said that the projects were part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address longstanding transmission constraints and infrastructure decay that have limited the country’s ability to fully utilise available generation.

The upgrades increased the Ijora substation’s capacity by 112MW, from 90MVA to 230MVA, following the installation of two new 100MVA transformers.

At Apapa Road, a new Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) added another 96MW, raising the facility’s capacity from 60MVA to 180MVA.

The upgrade replaces an outdoor transformer that had served as a stopgap after the original facility, commissioned in 1985, was decommissioned.

Business

CBN’s Sidi-Ali wins 2026 overall Spokesperson of the Year Award, courtesy of NSA

Published

16 hours ago

August 18, 2026

OCHEFA

26 Views

•Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali.

The Ag. Director of Corporate Communications of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, has won the 2026 edition of the National Spokespersons Award (NSA).

The recognition was announced during the 6th National Spokespersons Awards and the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest, held in Abuja, recently.

The organisers stated: “With the latest honour, Sidi-Ali completed an unprecedented hat-trick at the National Spokespersons Awards, becoming the first communications professional to progress from winning a sector-specific award twice consecutively to claiming the overall Spokesperson of the Year title.