PENGASSAN THREATENS STRIKE

Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to ratify its decision to go on strike if government did not guarantee safety of its members The union on Friday said it planned to endorse a strike to disrupt 'crude oil exploration, exportation and exploitation in the country.'

PENGASSAN's President, Mr. Babatunde Ogun, who spoke in Lagos, said the ratification was due to the continued killing of its members. He said the insecurity in the country and government's failure to adequately address the problem was forcing them to take the action. 'Our members are continually being murdered and it seems government is not doing enough about our complaint.

'We have made various representations to the government on insecurity, as well as on the murder of two of our members at Mosorga in 2009, but nothing has been done,' he said. Ogun said that PENGASSAN was ready to pullout its members from locations if their lives were not secured.

He warned of imminent strike if the Federal Government failed to enhance the security of people's lives.

He said it was regrettable that the worsening security situation in the country had increased the rate of kidnapping.

'The government must muster the will to improve its security strategies and end the onslaught of innocent people in the country. 'Our members are been attacked and kidnapped on daily basis and we may be forced to go on strike to compel government to show more commitment to ending kidnapping and insecurity in the country,' he said.

Ogun said government at all levels ought to have formed a synergy to tackle the country's security problems,

Adding that PENGASSAN would be forced to shut oil and gas installations and operations in Nigeria if kidnapping continued unabated.

'What is required is for the governments to have the political will to end every kind of criminality in the country,' he said.