Nigeria oil workers insist on all-inclusive conference to discuss industry problems

Despite suspending their strike, Nigerian oil workers insist on the convocation of an all-inclusive conference to discuss the problems facing the oil and gas industry in the country.

The nationwide strike suspended on Thursday was embarked upon to protest government’s decision to restructure the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

The oil workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, said the problems facing the industry are too much for one individual, group or government to provide solutions to.

The President of PENGASSAN, Francis Johnson, revealed that the problems are so much that it would require the coming together of all interest groups in the industry to proffer solutions that would be lasting legacies for future generations.

Mr. Johnson identified some of the problems to include crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, backlog of joint venture cash calls, poor state of refineries, corruption in the importation of petroleum products and subsidy payment to marketers, and abuse of Nigerian Content policy.

He said the problems also include the status of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, Petroleum Equalization Fund, PEF, and interfering role of the NNPC in the performance of their mandates.