NUPENG, PENGASSAN urge Buhari to accelerate PIB assent

By Oke Peter

The leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) has again appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to accelerate the final executive assent to the entire Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The oil workers argued that the bill, when passed into law, would end unnecessary political interference in the sector and optimise value chain in the upstream, midstream and downstream of the petroleum industry.

They said it would also separate the roles of the policy maker from the regulator and from the commercial institutions.

Giving more instances, the unions noted that in the Bill, roles and accountability are better clarified; governance and transparency strengthened, and inefficiency, maladministration, corruption and secrecy are accordingly tackled.

According to them, these are quite important and must be upheld. The unions said this in a joint statement when they commended the Federal Government on its latest milestone with the flag-off and official commencement of crude oil search in the Kolmani Well River-II, located near Barambu, Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

They said the feat achieved was a reflection of government’s resolve and commitment to grow Nigeria’s economy, boost capacity and provide energy sufficiency as well as strengthen the country’s oil and gas industry.

The initiative, according to the workers, would go a long way in galvanising the current government’s national drive for jobs creation, youth empowerment and human capital development.

They also extended their commendations to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, and their team for their contribution during the ceremony.

“The untiring and fantastic efforts of our irrepressible members to the realisation of the noble dream are also highly commendable and we praise their uncommon contributions to the growth and development of our dear country.

“There is no iota of doubt in our minds that Nigerian workers have capacity and ability to deliver even much more than their counterparts in other climes when given the right tools and right working environment and conditions to do so.

“This historic flag off is without doubt, a full demonstration of Nigerians resilience, doggedness and determination, and the entire productive oil and gas workers are very proud of this great achievement and we promise to keep raising the bar with other committed stakeholders.”