Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder As FG / NUPENG Talk Fails

The National President, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Achese Igwe declared yesterday evening that its three days strike will continue after a meeting jointly held with the its sister union ,the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

The NUPENG President also disclosed that the meeting with the Federal Government on Monday night, led by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu was inconclusive, therefore, the strike will be sustained.

However, he stated that NUPENG had scheduled its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for last night in Abuja, adding that the union will still take a critical look at the strike and take the next line of action whether to suspend the strike or continue.

But Achese warned that the crises and problems in the oil and gas industry cannot be resolved if the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, refused to be on her seat to address the issues.

He said: “On the ongoing strike of NUPENG, the strike action is still on and at the NUPENG level, the NEC will be meeting later this (yesterday) night to deliberate on these issues. The aftermath of the meeting we would be able to announce to Nigerians and our next line of action over the on-going strike.

“We strongly believe the strike is not to create hardship for Nigerians but to protect the jobs that are existing in this great country and to stop labour enslavement in our great country called Nigeria. We cannot afford to fold our hands as a nation and as workers to allow Nigerians to be enslaved in the oil and gas sector.

“The minister of petroleum has not helped matters. The labour minister met us last night but the meeting was inconclusive. There is no way we can address the problems in the oil and gas sector if the minister of petroleum is not always on her seat and ready to work. She has to be on her seat.”

On the issue of Petroleum Industry Bill, oil theft, casualisation and expatriates quotas, he said: “However on the items mentioned on PIB, oil theft, divestment, bad roads, general insecurity, guidelines on casualisation, and expatriate quota, the joint council in session is requesting urgently the Federal Government, the various institutions to address these issues as quickly as possible. You are aware that PENGASSAN has suspended its 7 days ultimatum and it does give him room to dialogue.

The Chairman, South West Chapter of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, told NAN that the union had a meeting with the Minister of Labour, Mr Emeka Wogu, till 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

Korodo said that the minister had set up a committee to look into the unfair treatment of Nigerian workers by some oil companies and some other issues.

He said that the committee included the permanent secretaries in both the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Ministry of Labour; NUPENG and NNPC officials.

Korodo, however, said that the three-day warning strike would still continue, adding that government should have averted it when the 14-day ultimatum was given.