Nigeria is set to experience yet another round of fuel scarcity across the nation. This is as a result of the strike action embarked upon by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). As a result at least 150,000 barrels of crude oil, valued at $6.9 million have been withdrawn from circulation.
Nigeria, which is yet to recover from the recent fuel crisis is said to be preparing for another round as the industrial action by the NPDC is coming barely a month it called of a week-long strike over allegation that Shell divested assets located in oil mining lease (OML) 42.
Workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), NPDC chapter simply referred to as NUPENGASSAN, called for an industrial action after their meeting yesterday.
A source who preferred to reserve his identity claimed that immediately after the meeting yesterday, workers were asked to vacate the premises.
He said,“NUPENGASSAN union met this morning and decided to go on an indefinite strike starting from today (yesterday). The unions asked all consultant, contract staff and visitors to vacate the company’s premises leaving only the staff in their offices.
“The staff will remain in their offices but they will not be working. The locked offices of all the management staff including those of their Joint Venture partners. This category of staff could not gain entrance into their offices.”
The technocrat referred to the situation as an ‘economic sabotage’ and called on all stake holders to avoid destabilisation of the new administration.
“This is economic sabotage and destabilisation of the new administration. It is just unfair because the new government needs money.
“What the Unions are really seeking is a pay rise but they are using the operatorship issue as blackmail to cover their inefficiencies in delivering production and revenue, the source added”.
It would be recalled that fuel scarcity was at its height recently as tanker drivers reduced to operate which resulted in the breakdown of Nigeria’s economy in the last days of the past administration.
Nigeria, which is yet to recover from the recent fuel crisis is said to be preparing for another round as the industrial action by the NPDC is coming barely a month it called of a week-long strike over allegation that Shell divested assets located in oil mining lease (OML) 42.
Workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), NPDC chapter simply referred to as NUPENGASSAN, called for an industrial action after their meeting yesterday.
A source who preferred to reserve his identity claimed that immediately after the meeting yesterday, workers were asked to vacate the premises.
He said,“NUPENGASSAN union met this morning and decided to go on an indefinite strike starting from today (yesterday). The unions asked all consultant, contract staff and visitors to vacate the company’s premises leaving only the staff in their offices.
“The staff will remain in their offices but they will not be working. The locked offices of all the management staff including those of their Joint Venture partners. This category of staff could not gain entrance into their offices.”
The technocrat referred to the situation as an ‘economic sabotage’ and called on all stake holders to avoid destabilisation of the new administration.
“This is economic sabotage and destabilisation of the new administration. It is just unfair because the new government needs money.
“What the Unions are really seeking is a pay rise but they are using the operatorship issue as blackmail to cover their inefficiencies in delivering production and revenue, the source added”.
It would be recalled that fuel scarcity was at its height recently as tanker drivers reduced to operate which resulted in the breakdown of Nigeria’s economy in the last days of the past administration.
