…plans to shut down installations over oil theft
Nigeria may soon likely experience another fuel scarcity as members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, on Wednesday, threatened to pull out its entire workforce from oil and gas installations nationwide to protest rising incidence of oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, disclosed the intentions of the association at a press conference in Abuja.
He expressed regrets that crude oil theft had ruined Nigeria’s economy.
The PENGASSAN president, however, declared the readiness of oil workers to withdraw their services if government continues not to take their demands of fighting the menace with sincerity and sense of purpose seriously.
He argued that in other climes, governments deployed high technology to fight such heinous crimes of sabotage, but inspite of the damage oil theft and pipeline vandalism are doing to the nation’s economy, Federal Government appears to be helpless.
Osifo, who described the rising incidence of oil theft as a real time challenge, urged government to bring to book oil thieves vandalising the nation’s pipelines.
He said some cartels were responsible for the menace and feeding fat on the nation’s wealth and sabotaging the economy.
The PENGASSAN president noted that crude oil theft had destroyed the nation’s economy, adding that the union could no longer watch idly.
He stressed that ‘beginning today across four states in Abuja, Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt, all members of PENGASSAN will embark on rally across strategic locations to sensitise the nation on the dangers and economic losses inherent in crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.’
He lamented that due to oil theft, Nigeria could no longer meet up with OPEC quota of 1.8 million barrels of crude oil, even as the country is struggling to produce a million barrels, because the products are stolen, while companies are shutting down production.
Osifo said the union had engaged and dialogued with critical stakeholders, agencies of government and service chiefs on how to curb oil theft, stating that despite all meetings, none had yielded the desired result, due to the cartels that are largely feasting on it and crumbling the economy.
To this end, he said the union could not take it anymore, rather than embark on a national rally to sensitise Nigerians on what is going on in the sector and the reason the economy is not growing abysmally.
He said if at the end, no justification for the exercise, the union will pull out the entire workforce in all oil and gas installations across the country, for a total showdown.
Osifo said this is the first time crude oil price is hitting the roof of $100 per barrel in the international market.
He said, “This is a menace that is leapfrogging the country. This is the reason Nigeria keeps borrowing to finance the national budget. enough is enough. We have to add our voice to the current struggle. It is not going to be a one-off thing. Companies are shutting down, our members are losing their jobs in services and producing companies.
“The business is that bad now because companies are struggling to sustain the workforce. This is a real crisis that government of the day must develop the muscle and political will to chase out the oil thieves. What is happening is beyond blame game. This is the time to practicalise what we have been saying. The earlier government acts fact, the better for the economy.”