Edo NUJ knocks Nigeria Gas Marketing Company over Ossiomo Power Plant

By Jethro Ibileke

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, has again appealed to the Nigeria Gas Marketing Company (NGMC), to cease disrupting operations of the State Government-owned Ossiomo Power Station, noting that it affects the productivity of journalists in the state.

The council in a statement on Thursday by its Chairman, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, asserted that the NGMC had forcefully taken over the gas plant that was built by Ossiomo Power Station at its site at the Ossiomo Industrial Plant, Ologbo, in May 2022.

He described the action of the gas marketing company as sabotage and unpatriotic.

“By this action, they are disrupting the flow of gas to power the plant and thus sabotaging the services of Ossiomo to its customers.

“All journalists in Edo State are directly affected by this unpatriotic action of the NGMC because the NUJ is a commercial customer of Ossiomo Power because they supply power to the NUJ Secretariat, thereby enhancing the productivity of all journalists in the State

“We want to note that the action of the NGMC in Edo State is similar to what Kogi State is doing to Dangote’s Obajana Cement Plant; killing businesses, discouraging the private sector and undermining national security,” Alenkhe said.

He noted that numerous customers of Ossiomo Power cannot understand why NGMC will be so bent on stopping the uninterrupted supply of power to which they have become accustomed.

“We call on the federal government, the national security institutions, the state government, and all other relevant stakeholders to call the NGMC to order.

“We warn that their actions may lead to unrest in Edo communities at this time when the country is in a transitory process with the general elections scheduled for February next year,” Alenkhe added.