The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers on Friday faulted the now dissolved Jonathan-led Executive Council of the Federation on the real reason behind their recent nationwide strike action.
The FEC at the end of its valedictory session on Wednesday accused the oil workers unions of using the strike to agitate for improved welfare, including demands for salaries and allowances increase for their members.
However, PENGASSAN spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojugbana, expressed disgust and anger over such insinuations, which he said was “premised on falsehood aimed at creating public disaffection against the unions and possibly incites hateful dispositions towards the (petroleum) sector.”
Mr. Ojugbana accused the government of hiding under false pretence to trivialize the pains, torture and untold hardship Nigerians suffered in recent times as a result of serious shortages in petroleum products supply and distribution.
The unions’ decision to embark on strike, the PENGASSAN secretary said, was to protest the procedure of transfering Operating Mining Lease (OML’s) 30, 34, 40 and 42 by the government.
Under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, he said the administration was characterized by the absence of statutory and regulatory institutions, including extra-ministerial and boards of parastatals, despite the presence of boards.
Meetings on vital industry decisions, he said, were only held at the behest of the Petroleum Resources Minister(former), Diezani Alison-Madueke, a development that informed the unions’ demand that supervising Ministers should be stripped of the headship of all Federal Parastatals and boards.
SOURCE: Premium Times
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