Workers Protest Unbundling Of Nnpc, Shut Down Activities

BEVERLY HILLS, March 09, (THEWILL) – Nigerians may be in for a protracted energy crisis as workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on Wednesday shut down the activities of the corporation across the nation in response to the announcement of the unbundling of the state-owned company into seven independent units.

Members of staff and management of the corporation who came to work on Wednesday morning discovered that they could not gain entrance as unionists in red were at the scene barricading the entrance to the NNPC building. The workers were seen standing around the NNPC towers holding discussions in small groups. This resulted in traffic gridlock on the Herbert Macaulay way.

The workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, said they were not carried along before decisions of the unbundling exercise were taken‎ or announced on Tuesday.

Some of the workers lambasted the Federal Government, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the management of the NNPC for taking such decision which concerns and affect the future of the workers without due consultations.

Shortly after the official announcement of the unbundling on Tuesday, the group executive committee, GEC, of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, convened an emergency meeting to discuss the development.

At the end of that meeting which held around at 10pm, the GEC sent this message to all members: “The GEC of NUPENG & PENGASSAN at its meeting of 8th March 2016, which started at 10:00pm has extensively discussed the pronouncement of the GMD on NNPC UNBUNDLING. We observed that the GMD/HMSP totally disregarded due process and failed to engage STAKEHOLDERS. Hence, from midnight today, ALL NNPC LOCATIONS will be SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY until further notice. Further directives will be communicated accordingly.”

It is feared that the immediate impact of the strike will be nationwide scarcity of petrol as NUPENG will not be on ground to lift products for distribution to fuel stations.