Victor AHIUMA-YOUNG
PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has advised the Federal Government against any attempt to secretly sell the four public refineries without following due process and addressing all labour concerns.
The umbrella body for senior employees in Nigeria’s petroleum industry, threatened that any attempt to discreetly privatize the refineries, would cause unprecedented industrial unrest in the sector.
Reacting to a recent media report where the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, was quoted as saying the sale of the refineries was the best option and that the Federal government would soon put them on sale, President of PENGASSAN, Babatunde Ogun, and the General Secretary, Bayo Olowoshile, declared that the minister was heating up the polity of the country with her utterances.
Ogun insisted that labour (PENGASSAN and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers), opted for the adoption of the Strategic Partnership Model, SPM, just like Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, model for the ownership structure of the refineries, where core investors shall take the 51 per cent golden stake and sector unions and workers shall join the government and others to buy into the remaining 49 per cent to reduce government undue interference in the running of the state-owned edifice.
He noted that the issue about the sales of the refineries had been laid to rest during a tripartite meeting between labour, government and other stakeholders on January 7, 2014.
Ogun asked why “is it that the minister likes broadcasting important policies and issues, such as sales of refineries to the public without discussing it with relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. The minister is fond of talking to the public before discussing with relevant stakeholders and at the end of the day after discussing with stakeholders, such polices that she had announced will be put on hold. Due process should be followed in doing things in this country.
“The first time she talked about the sales of the refineries was in London at an investment forum, when she said that the refineries will be privatized before April and at the end of the day, the Presidency halted the process for the sales.”
He said that even if the government would release the minority shares, the refineries must be in 100 per cent functional position by carrying out a Turn Around Maintenance, TAM, on the refineries with a guaranteed supply of crude, which is the feed stock of the refineries, noting that adequate security should also be provided for all oil and gas infrastructure, especially pipelines supplying crude to the refineries and those transporting refined products to depots and terminals throughout the country.
On his part, Olowoshile argued that the Petroleum Minister’s statement that the government could no longer sustain subsidy and the fuel shortage currently being experienced, was a cursor to the government’s several moves and attempts to shield itself from the commitment it gave to the Nigeria public to ensure that oil sector industry reforms is consciously and fairly followed through without creating attendant socio-economic pain and another any adverse reaction from labour and the Nigeria masses.
“During the engagement held with the oil workers’ unions, the government and oil workers jointly agreed to ensure the TAM of Port Harcourt Refinery is carried out in the 1st Quarter of 2014, while lasting solution is being found to ensure regular crude supplies to make all the refineries operate at their full capacity.
Biafra Galaxy
