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Tag: NUPENG

  • ‘Fuel supply sabotage’: NUPENG wing faults DSS allegation on Ubah

    The Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ (PTD) wing of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday faulted the Department of State Security Services (DSS) over allegation of collaboration with the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah, to disrupt distribution of petroleum products.

    It said no individual or institution can be allowed to use tanker drivers to cause any economic sabotage.

    The union, which made the clarifications in a statement by its national chairman, Otunba Salmon Oladiti, dismissed the allegation as ”baseless, unfounded  and totally untrue”.

    The DSS linked Ubah’s arrest to alleged plans to incite members of the PTD, a critical player in the downstream sub-sector of the petroleum Industry, to refuse/stop the lifting of products.

    But the tanker drivers, through their chairman, said there was no way its members could be used for economic sabotage.

    Oladiti said the union has no relationship with the firm’s chief, ‘’ beyond the precinct of promoting, projecting and protecting the security of jobs and welfare of our members”.

    The statement said: “We read from an online publication the arrest of Ifeanyi Ubah for stealing and diversion of petroleum products worth N11 billion and further allegation of inciting Petroleum Tanker Drivers to cause economic sabotage.

    ‘’The leadership of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers wishes to categorically deny the allegation of Ifeanyi Ubah or any other individual, inciting the tanker drivers to cause any economic sabotage.  The allegation is baseless, unfounded and totally untrue.

    ‘’Our responsibility as a trade union is solely to promote, project and protect the job security and welfare of workers, most especially the petroleum tanker drivers in Nigeria.

    ‘’We have no further relationship with any capitalist/ employer beyond the precinct of promoting, projecting and protecting the security of jobs and welfare of our members.’’

    The union further restated its commitment to the war against corruption by the federal government and its determination to sustain what it called “a good brand of integrity and excellent service to the nation”.

    ‘’We unequivocally support the ongoing war against corruption by the current government and any capitalist/employer found culpable of stealing, diversion or embezzlement of government funds should be appropriately dealt with in accordance with the law.

    ‘’The PTDs’ branch of NUPENG has over the years built a good brand of integrity and excellent service to the nation and we will not allow anyone or institution, no matter how highly placed to bring this beautiful brand our forebears toiled to build into disrepute.’’

  • NUPENG to Fed Govt: create agency to protect pipelines

    NUPENG to Fed Govt: create agency to protect pipelines

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has appealed to the Federal Government to create a Pipeline Protection Agency (PPA) that will be saddled with the protection of pipelines.

    Its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, gave the advice in Lagos, saying the agency should be well funded and equipped with modern gadgets like alarms, sensors and helicopters and gunships with night vision.

    Commending the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for re-opening Mosimi Depot, NUPENG said the development would make distribution of petroleum products to the South- west easy and reduce the pressure on petroleum tankers that throng the Lagos axis to load.

    He urged the NNPC to also re-open the  System B line so that petroleum products could be dispensed through that line.

    According to him, the NNPC should go further to reactivate and re-open other moribund depots in  the county.

    Achese lauded the corporation’s management under Dr. Maikanti Baru for the increase in refining capacity of the four refineries by 29 per cent.

    He added that the new model of each refinery purchasing crude oil at export parity price, processing and selling the products on its own account was in order.

  • NUPENG demands local govt autonomy

    NUPENG demands local govt autonomy

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on the Federal Government to give autonomy to the 774 local governments in the country.

    In a statement by its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, the union said it believed that  local governments autonomy would ensure   accountability and  rapid infrastructural development.

    He said the autonomy would make the local government chairmen and councillors more responsive and acceptable to the people at the grassroots.

    The union condemned in its entirety the action of governors, who allegedly remove duly elected local government chairmen and councillors at will, noting that granting them autonomy would put a stop to it.

    NUPENG also said the autonomy would make sure that direct allocation from the Federation Account are paid directly to local governments, thereby putting a stop to the hijack by governors.

    The union said such direct allocations to the local government chairmen and councillors would ensure prompt payment of salaries and allowances to workers as at when due.

    NUPENG, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to urgently revisit the issue and grant local governments full autonomy to guarantee grassroot development.

  • PENGASSAN, NUPENG picket Lagos, P/Harcourt GE offices

    PENGASSAN, NUPENG picket Lagos, P/Harcourt GE offices

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff  of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday shut down General Electric’s (GE’s) office at Bishop Aboyade Cole Street, Victoria Island over the its failure  to honour the agreement it signed with Arco Group Plc, a member of PENGASSAN  and  leading oil and gas servicing company.

    Also in Port Harcourt, PENGASSAN was joined in the picketing by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

    The oil workers accused GE of failing to pay Arco and the workers for services rendered. These include outstanding allowances, overall allowance, severance and contract allowances.

    The picketing started around 6.30 am, with hundreds of members of PENGASSAN blocking the entrance into GE’s office, thereby paralysing activities of the company.

    Addressing reporters, Lagos Zonal Chairman, PENGASSAN, Comrade Abel Agarin, said the union decided to picket GE because the company has failed to honour   the agreement  between the two parties, despite the involvement of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige in the matter.

    Agarin said the picketing became inevitable because GE has failed to pay Arco Group, demobilisation due to them to enable them pay their workers, having been laid off from the OBOB/Ebocha/KwaleAgip gas plants in the Niger Delta without their severance benefits.

    The workers were declared redundant with effect from October last year and their services severed.

    Mr. Agarin lamented that the workers who are now jobless are facing untold hardship and GE appeared to be unmindful of their situation over these last six months. He referred to the meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige in Abuja on November 30 last year and attended by all stakeholders in the matter. He said GE in the presence of the Ngige gave an undertaking to pay to Arco, the money due to it once Arco fulfilled all requirements for demobilisation from the gas plants.

    Mr. Agarin expressed surprise that GE reneged on the undertaking to pay the money within 30 days of Arco’s demobilisation from the gas plants.

    “Instead of paying the prescribed demobilisation fee to Arco to enable Arco to pay the severance benefits of over 150 members of their Union that are affected by the lay-off from OBOB/Kwale/Eboch gas plants, GE is busy demanding untenable conditions for payment even when Agip had certified the demobilisation of Arco from the gas plants.

    “This is a downright negation of the promise that GE made before the Minister of Labour and Employment and other stakeholders at the November 30, 2016 meeting which representatives of PENGASSAN also attended,” Mr. Agarin added.

  • Stop mass sack in oil sector, NUPENG tells Fed Govt

    Stop mass sack in oil sector, NUPENG tells Fed Govt

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has expressed concern over the increasing job losses in the oil and gas sector and  the closure of international oil companies.

    Addressing reporters after its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Lagos,  its National President, Comrade Igwe Achese, noted that Labour and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige’s, assurances that there was nothing reassuring in job cut would stop.

    The union urged the Federal Government to prevail on international oil companies (IOCs) country to stop the retrenchment.

    Achese said the delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was majorly responsible for the rot in the industry and the slide in the returns accruable from investments by successive governments and investors.

    He called on the National Assembly to expedite parliamentary actions for speedy passage of the bill for the purposes of engendering transparency, accountability and commensurate returns in the operations of the oil and gas sector.

    He said the union believed that passing the bill will further enhance the visibility and attractiveness of the sector to both foreign and local investors.

    On the privatisation of the refineries, Achese said: “The CWC-in-Session notes the current calls and agitation by some interested capitalists for the privatisation of the nation’s four refineries.

    “We kick against such moves and advise the Federal Government to sincerely do the Turn-Around-Maintenance (TAM) of the refineries and upgrade their systems in order to allow them produce at full capacity. The CWC believes that this will go a long way to reduce the massive importation of petroleum products into the country.”

    Achese also explained that the CWC-in-Session called on the Federal Government to grant tax holidays and free land for investors, who want to establish private refineries.

    He commended the Federal Government’s position to encourage operators of illegal refineries to be integrated into the establishment of modular refineries.

    He advised that the pronouncement should not be political, but matched with actions to train the refiners and put appropriate policies and regulations in place to regulate their operations in order to protect the eco system from possible negative effects of their activities.

    “We further urge the Federal Government to support the refiners with funds necessary for effective and efficient modular refineries, which we believe will go a long way in supporting the supply of petroleum products for local consumption and also generate employment opportunities for the restless youths,” he said.

    Achese lamented that the economy was still generator-driven, adding that power sector privatisation has failed.

    The Federal Government, he said, should put pressure on the electricity generation and distribution companies (GENCOs and DISCOs) to be alive to their responsibilities or have their licenses revoked.

    The union lauded the Federal Government’s efforts at addressing inflation.

    “The CWC x-rayed the state of the economy and commended the government in its efforts to shore up the naira against the dollar and the drop of the inflationary rate to 17.5 per cent.

    “The session, however, stated that a lot still needs to be done to address the current recession and reduce the hunger in the land. The CWC-in-Session wants the Federal Government to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and hunger in the land.”

    NUPENG added that the  government should vigorously address the issue of rising cost of goods and services.

    “The CWC-in-Session called on the Federal Government to look inward and put structures and strategies to restructure the economy.

    “The Session wants the National Assembly to quickly put finishing touches to the budget so that it can be passed and assented by the President, so that the liquidity squeeze can be addressed and debts owed contractors paid after verification,” Achese said.

  • NUPENG suspends strike

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has suspended its nationwide strike which began on Sunday.

    The suspension followed the intervention of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru.

    In a statement issued by NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, on Monday in Abuja, Baru said his intervention was in national interest.

    Baru approved the increase in bridging costs from N6.20 to N7.20.

    Bridging is money paid tanker drivers per kilometer for trucking petroleum products from depots to final destinations.

    ‘In mediating between the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), we understand the difficulty of NARTO to go into negotiations which has to do with the level of bridging allowance.

    ”I am happy to announce that the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has given his approval to increase the bridging allowance from N6.20 to N7.20,” Baru said in the statement.

    He said the review should give NARTO the breathing space to engage with PTD to immediately discuss and resolve as many of the issues as possible, adding that the gesture was expected to normalise relations between the unions.

     

    NAN

  • Lawmaker urges NUPENG to shelve strike

    Lawmaker urges NUPENG to shelve strike

    member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nicholas Ossai (Delta-PDP) has urged petroleum tanker drivers to shelve the nationwide strike to save Nigerians from its attendant economic hardship.

    In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, the lawmaker noted that the petroleum sector and all its arms are critical in the lives of Nigerians.

    “I advise the tanker drivers to (engage in) dialogue and interface with the appropriate executive agencies that require to carry out their template which they are demanding for.

    “I believe that is the only way to solve that problem; I don’t advocate for a strike.

    “And I am using this medium to call on the tanker drivers to be able to shelve their strike and engage the appropriate government authority to address the seeming problems.

    Ossai said that people should separate their organisational interest from the interest of the entire country.

    “When embarking on issues of strike people should look at Nigerians that are suffering at this period of recession.

    “The three arms of government have seen that and they are also taking steps in making sure that the plight of the masses are addressed, so you cannot compound it.

    The Petroleum Tanker Drivers arm of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) commenced an indefinite strike on Monday.

    NAN reports that a communiqué by NUPENG’s President, Mr Igwe Achese, said the strike was to press home the group’s demands on unresolved issues bordering on workers’ welfare.

    “They issues included bad roads, poor remuneration, insecurity and alleged excesses of some security agencies.”

  • No going back on tanker drivers’ strike, says NUPENG

    No going back on tanker drivers’ strike, says NUPENG

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has said its Petroleum Tanker Drivers had been mobilised to ensure no movement of petroleum tankers as their nationwide strike begins on Monday.

    Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of NUPENG Lagos Council, made the assertion on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    According to Korodo, all the tanker drivers have abandoned their trucks in respect of the indefinite strike which will begin on Monday unless the Federal Government intervenes.
    The chairman said the drivers were forced to down tools due to unresolved issues concerning their welfare, poor remuneration, insecurity and bad roads.

    “The tanker drivers for the past three years have been appealing to the Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to increase their salary but they refused on the ground that spare parts had increased.

    “NARTO said that government has not increased their fares, so they will not increase their salary.

    “Apart from this, most of the roads they ply are bad and this has resulted in accidents or damaging their trucks.

    “The activities of the official of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps on the roads is not helping the matter,’’ Korodo told NAN.

    “The tanker drivers are forced to break the seal of their product on the pretext that they were carrying adulterated product.

    “Most of these drivers are harassed by these officers, at times the tanker and the driver will be detained for close to a month,’’ he said.

    Korodo also said that more than 2,000 staff of Capital Oil and Gas Ltd., were on the line due to their closure by the Federal Government due to some issues between the company and NNPC.

    He said that the union wanted the government to resolve the matter so that the company would be opened and the staff and tanker drivers would resume duty.

    The chairman, however, said that the strike would not affect activities in filling stations, depots or refineries across the nation.

    NAN reports that on March 31, the PTD branch of the NUPENG said they would begin a nationwide strike on April 3.

    NUPENG’s President, Mr Igwe Achese, announced this in a communique in Lagos at the end of its Central Working Committee meeting held at the union’s secretariat in Yaba.

    The communique said the strike would draw the attention of the Federal Government and other stakeholders to some unresolved issues bordering on the welfare of workers, bad roads, poor remuneration, insecurity and the alleged excesses of some security agencies. (NAN)

  • NNPC resumes loading of petroleum products nationwide

    NNPC resumes loading of petroleum products nationwide

    Mr Ndu Ughamadu, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), says the corporation has resumed loading of petroleum products in all its depots nationwide.

    Ughamadu made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

    He said that the resumption of activities at the depots across the country followed the suspension of the strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers,(NUPENG).

    He further said that the current petroleum products, stocked for supply by the corporation, would be sufficient for over 37 days.

    According to him, with the resumption in production of diesel and kerosene by the nation’s three refineries, Nigerians can be assured that the current seamless flow of petroleum products will be sustained.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs further assured Nigerians that NNPC would sustain the prevailing harmonious relations with industrial unions.

    He, therefore, called on Nigerians not to engage in panic buying, promising that there was adequate supply of petroleum products nationwide.

    Ughamadu also called on members of the public and stakeholders to refrain from any act capable of impeding the supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country.

  • NUPENG suspends warning strike

    The Three- day warning strike called by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) to protest unfriendly labour practices and lack of implementation of agreements by oil companies in the country has been suspended.

    Also, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has warned that the government will not accept a situation where oil companies disregard agreements freely entered into with union on a negotiating table.

    This was the outcome of a meeting called by the minister between the unions and the international oil companies on Wednesday.

    The meeting was attended by the two unions in the oil sector, representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS).

    Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting which ended at about 7.40 p.m., President of NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese, said they were satisfied with the commitment shown during the deliberations and expressed the hope that the agreement reached will be implemented by all parties.