Oil Workers Give FG 25-Day Ultimatum On Refineries

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
December 7, 2003
Posted to the web December 8, 2003

By Emeka Mamah

NATIONAL Executive Councils (NECs) of both NUPENG and PENGASSAN have given the
Federal Government up till December 31 to address the problems of non-
functional refineries and halt the on-going crisis in the Niger-Delta region or
face trouble.
Joint NECs-in-session of the two unions gave the ultimatum in a communique
issued at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Club, Kaduna, weekend. The communique
was jointly signed by presidents of NUPENG and PENGASSAN, Comrades Peter
Akpatason and Louis Broun Ogbeifun respectively and their general secretaries,
Comrades Elijah Okougbo (NUPENG) and M.M. Fadakinte (PENGASSAN).
The communique reads: "The Joint National Executive Council (NEC) of NUPENG and
PENGASSAN met in Kaduna and agreed on the following. "The joint NEC-in-session
recounted with deep concern government's indifference and complacency in the
face of worsening economic crisis in the country. It recalls with pains that
the issues for which our association/union went on a two-day warning strike in
September 2002 are yet to be addressed. Notable among them are:
Privatisation of NNPC
The joint NEC-in-session wonders why government is in a hurry to sell the
refineries, petrochemicals etc, when indeed, the technical committees' report
on the privatisation of NNPC downstream in which we served has not been
properly presented to government. Also of note is the fact that NNPC management
has recently sacked an unprecedented number of staff (1388) without following
due labour procedures. While we are yet to come to term with the brazen breach
of labour guidelines, NNPC management has penciled down more than 3000 of our
members for sack.
Deregulations of downstream oil and gas sector
The joint NEC-in-session notes that government implementations of
deregulations, so far, is faulty, as it has not addressed this matter with a
view to mitigating the suffering of the Nigerian masses. How can prices of
petroleum products be reasonable when the indices used in fixing the prices are
import/dollar driven and cartelisation is the other of the day?
Niger-Delta restiveness:
While joint-NEC-in-session condemns the premeditated vandalisation, and wanton
destruction of lives and property in the Niger Delta, it believes that the
government has the capacity to holistically and decisively address the problems
and concerns of Niger Deltans. It finds it inappropriate that government looks
helpless in the face of our members being kidnapped and vital petroleum
services are disrupted.

   

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