The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(PENGASSAN) has called on the incoming government to address the high rate of poverty in the country.
Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association in Abuja, the association’s National President, Comrade Festus Osifo said the standard of living of most of our citizens has been a case of ‘hand-to- mouth.’
Also, the association said despite promises by successive governments, the country‘s power supply remains epileptic, thereby stifling the growth and investment that are needed to create jobs and lift people out of poverty.
Osifo words: “We challenge the new government to do things differently by caring and valuing the lives of the citizens.
“Recall that Nigeria started its journey of independence about the same time as Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore, to name a few. All these countries have long overtaken us despite our oil wealth and joined the league of industrialised countries.
“The high cost of living and other economic issues have combined to worsen the situation, leading to an increase in the country’s poverty index.
“According to the National Bereau of Statistics, 133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor out of over 200 million citizens.
“This is against the fact that the country is endowed with human and natural resources.
“The failure of the previous and the leaders to manage the resources of the state has resulted in the failure in governance.
“One would be correct if he said that the past 63 years have been the story of leadership that has failed its people and the nation is tending towards a failed state.
“We are recommending that key ministries should be headed by professionals and experts as political party loyalty or membership should not be a yardstick for ministerial and institutional appointments.”
According to Osifo, the union empathises with Nigerians on the hardship faced with the scarcity and drastic hike in the price of PMS across the country.
He said the national leadership of PENGASSAN had been following their members at the NNPC Trading Limited, who are responsible for assigning the products to marketers as well as those at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) but based in various depots and terminals across the country that are responsible for issuing cargo clearance, tracking compliance, route inspection, metering calibration/maintenance, accurate delivery to trucks, record keeping, etc. on the need to carry out their functions expeditiously.
“We have called on the management of NMDPRA to compel marketers and retailers to make the products available at approved prices.
“They should immediately mobilise their staff in various locations across the country to track compliance, and anyone found wanting, should have their licence immediately revoked.We will keep close tab on this.
“Our association re-states the commitments to continue its advocacy on the need to fix the nation’s refineries and with the inclusion of PENGASSAN in the Steering Committee relevant stakeholders as set up by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), it shall continue the agitation for the rehabilitation of the four refineries through engagement with other relevant stakeholders.
“Functional local refineries will not only increase the nation’s revenue base, they will also provide more job opportunities for our youths as well as end the uncertainties in subsidy regimes and product importation.
“While maintaining our support for the full deregulation of the sector and acknowledging the significant milestones achieved in this regard, we counsel that efforts be made to increase the pace of the current refineries rehabilitation and get them back on stream in no time,” Osifo said.
On corruption, Osifo said the cancer called corruption seems to be proliferating, adding that it is the cause of the dilapidation of our institutions and national health.
Worst still, he said, is the lack of resolve to eradicate it through various means, including consequence management.
“Cases of corruption in and out of government have continued to compound the country’s woes, even as resources that are expected to contribute to gradually reducing the poverty rate are siphoned off by a few people who take advantage of their positions in government.
“It is our expectation that the incoming government will urgently carry out due diligence, appraisals of the operational apparatus of the EFCC, ICPC and other agencies charged with responsibilities of fighting corruption to make them more effective,” he added.
Osifo said the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of staff under PENGASSAN employ is being negotiated with the representatives of the Staff Council. This would further lead to improvement on the already good condition of service that members enjoy, he added.