Delta Line Crisis: AUPCTRE Wants Oborevwori to Scrap Concession Deal

The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Delta State Council, has called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene in the long-running controversy surrounding the concession of the state-owned Delta Line Transport Company.

The union is urging the Delta State Government to terminate the existing concession agreement and restore Delta Line to full public ownership, arguing that the arrangement has failed to deliver the expected benefits to the state and its workers.

The demand comes as the controversy over the management and ownership of Delta Line resurfaces in Delta State. AUPCTRE has historically opposed the partial privatisation of the transport company and had previously proposed an alternative bid for the company. Reports from the period show that the union’s offer was significantly higher than the amount eventually accepted for the concession.

Delta Line, which was wholly owned by the Delta State Government, was partially privatised during the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. Under the arrangement, a private company acquired a 60 per cent stake while the state retained 40 per cent.

Investigations published by The ICIR in 2021 reported that the transaction left Delta State with a minority stake and raised questions over the valuation and process through which the concession was awarded. The report said AUPCTRE had offered ₦2 billion for the stake, while the private investor eventually acquired 60 per cent for ₦160 million.

The union’s latest appeal comes amid renewed attention on the condition of government-owned commercial enterprises in Delta State. During a recent visit by AUPCTRE officials to the Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Epiphany Azinge, the monarch attributed the poor performance of some government-owned ventures to poor work ethics and lack of commitment among employees.

AUPCTRE, however, has continued to maintain its position that the structure of Delta Line’s concession needs to be reviewed.

The union’s appeal to Oborevwori places the governor in a position to decide whether the state should maintain the existing arrangement, renegotiate the terms or seek its termination.

The controversy also touches on a broader debate over the management of publicly owned enterprises in Nigeria, particularly whether strategic transport companies should remain under government control or be operated through private-sector partnerships.

For Delta Line, the union’s latest demand could reopen questions surrounding the original concession, the company’s current performance and the benefits accruing to Delta State from its retained stake.