PERESSA Holds Delegate Conference: Rufus Olusesan Re-elected as President

The Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA), an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), held its 9th Triennial and 1st Quadrennial National Delegate Conference on September 12, 2025 at NUJ Secretariat, Abeokuta.

By Sodiq Duro-Orike

The conference elected a new national leadership, with Comrade Rufus Olusesan, re-emerged to serve a second term as the National President of the union. Rufus is the National Chairperson of Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) and a leading member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM).

This Quadrennial conference commenced a new era of four years term away from the three years term. As of May 31st 2022, when the last delegate conference took place, there was little or no activity in the union. But Comrade Rufus-led leadership turned things around and things rapidly changed as more members have joined, new branches created and welfare conditions improved through negotiated agreements. Not limiting itself to industrial issues, the union has also consistently become active participant in the struggle against anti-poor capitalist policies and attacks on democratic rights by the government.
The conference theme was slightly modified to by the keynote speaker, Femi Aborisade esq, as “Developing Sustainable Industrial Growth and Job Security in PERESSA Sector of the Nigerian Economy,” and was expertly presented. Comrade Aborisade urged union to consistently uphold and defend the interests of members, and members to become politically engaged, asserting that only the masses, not the ruling elite, can bring about true and sustainable economic development.
A major focus of the address was a strong condemnation of the Dangote Group’s anti-union practices. The speaker highlighted the company’s history of preventing workers from joining unions and its recent action of mandating tanker drivers to join management-created alternatives (a yellow union). This anti-union stance is at the heart of the recent conflict between the Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The conference called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and all affiliated unions to work together to ensure all Dangote Refinery and petrochemical workers are properly unionized, viewing the current fight as a critical opportunity to secure labor dignity.
The event also featured solidarity messages from other trade unions, CDWR and other civil society organisations present.