Oil sector in turmoil as PENGASSAN closes key petroleum agencies nationwide
Quick Read
At the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja, the main gate was locked, and employees were stranded outside.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) began a nationwide strike on Monday, shutting down operations at major oil and gas agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The strike followed a decision by the union’s National Executive Council over the weekend. On Monday, workers across the country stopped work, leaving key offices locked and operations halted.
At the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja, the main gate was locked, and employees were stranded outside.
Security officials confirmed no staff were allowed inside. At the NMDPRA office in Abuja’s Central Business District, activities also came to a complete stop.
According to Tony Iziogba, PENGASSAN Chairman at NMDPRA, there was “100 per cent compliance” with the strike, which was also enforced at NNPCL and other oil agencies.
The union said it had no choice but to act after about 800 workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery were allegedly dismissed for joining the union.
PENGASSAN accused the refinery of violating labour laws and replacing the workers with foreigners.
In response, the union ordered a total stop to crude oil and gas supplies to the Dangote Refinery.
It also instructed international oil companies to cut back on production and supply to the refinery and its petrochemical units.
This development has raised fears of fuel shortages and possible blackouts, since NNPCL remains the only importer of petrol and the NUPRC regulates crude production and gas supply to power plants.
The Minister of Labour has called an emergency meeting on Monday to try to resolve the crisis.
Whether the strike continues will depend on the outcome of that meeting and if both sides are willing to compromise.
Meanwhile, Dangote who initially suspended Naira for crude has reversed it’s decision.
Comments