Ending incessant, flimsy strikes

Nigerians have been exposed to the loss of opportunities in the economic, social and educational spheres by incessant strikes embarked on by various associations, bodies and interest groups. Only a few of the strikes have  genuine reasons because the issues involved leading to the strikes can normally be resolved amicably through negotiation. Just days ago, […]

Nigerians have been exposed to the loss of opportunities in the economic, social and educational spheres by incessant strikes embarked on by various associations, bodies and interest groups. Only a few of the strikes have  genuine reasons because the issues involved leading to the strikes can normally be resolved amicably through negotiation.

Just days ago, the Federal Government demosntrated its responsibility of protecting and promoting the wellbeing of Nigerians by fruitfully engaging members of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) to avert  their  threat to go on strike and cripple every productive activity in the country.

The threatened but suspended strike was aimed at pressurising and forcing the Federal Government to speed up the process for  the payment of their claims on petroleum products subsidy. Even prior to their ultimatum, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has called them to the negoatiating table on the issue, which it inherited from the previous administration.

The claims by DAPPMA members, which they put at N800 billion, was accumulated by the previous administration, but it needs to be thoroughly analysed and scrutinised by the relevant government agencies to ensure that any payment made is deserved, lawful and defensible. This meticulous approach  is informed by detected cases of fraudlent claims and actual payments in billions of Naira. Some of the doubtful claims had to be decided by courts of law. In one case a subsidy fraudlent claim involving  N43 billion was detected and the matter taken to court. In another  case, the Managing Director of an Oil Marketing Company was jailed for 10 years for fraudulent fuel subsidy claim.  And the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission recovered N5 billion from a fuel subsidy frauster.

The Special Fraud Office (SFO) was engaged in tracking, compiling and preparing numerous cases of fraudlent subsidy claims against the government worth billions of Naira.  Both Nigerian and foreign firms  allegedly participated in the scam.

On May 13, 2012, a foreign news agency, Reuters,  reported that: “A $6.8 billion fuel subsidy fraud scandal is heaping pressure on Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to prosecute top officials or face protests, but many of those implicated are allies he is unlikely to go after if wants to keep his power base intact. A string of investigations, audits and committees were set-up to investigate the fuel subsidy scheme. The first major report was produced by the lower house of parliament and is shortly going to be delivered to Jonathan and his government.”

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on April 24, 2012 that “Nigeria’s parliament has discussed a report said to reveal that $6bn (£4bn) has been defrauded from the fuel subsidy fund in the past two years. The debate, which was televised live, made official findings that have been widely leaked in recent days.”

The BBC  report gave further details: “According to the leaks, a total of 15 fuel importers collected more than $300m two years ago without importing any fuel, while more than 100 oil marketers collected the same amount of money on several occasions.”

“We are fighting against entrenched interests whose infectious greed has decimated our people,” then House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said as he opened the two-day debate. “Therefore, be mindful they will fight back and they normally do fight dirty.”

Regardless of decided and  ongoing fuel subsidy fraud cases under investigation or  in courts, the President Muhammadu  Buhari-led administration in its usual demonstration of sensitivity to issues brought up by  parties with genuine cases for redress, listened to the grievances of DAPPMA members who are doing clean business, and offered immediate payment of   N236 billion through the instrument of promisory notes. They initially rejected payment through promissory notes, which they erreneously thought was not good enough.

While two links in the key petroleum industry chain which participation in any strikes bites harshly, PENGASSAN AND NUPENG, have patriotically  rejected the strikes, Nigerians are now questioning the payment of subsidy to the marketers after government has phased out subsidy on petrol. Any future such payment needs to be fully explained to the citizens by the government.

Nevertheless, any strike by DAMMPA could still generate economic adversity that will definetely  have negative consequences on the wellbeing of Nigerians. Strikes are usually the last resort in societies because of the pains and loses such actions cause. Going on strikes  so frequently as often is the case by many bodies in Nigeria, is unhealthy and injurious to the wellbeing of ordinary citizens who bear most of the destructive and disruptive effects of such action. Nigerians should find better ways of resolving disputes without going on strikes, which have become  incesstant  for our economy and the welbeing of majority of Nigerians.

The suspension of the planned strike by DAPPMAN, which was announced by its Executive Secretary, Mr Olufemi Adewole, is welcome by all those who are concious of the potential damage it can cause.

He said the strike was suspended “following the intervention of well meaning Nigerians, including the National Assembly as represented by the Senate Committee of Petroleum Downstream and constructive engagement of the Federal Government team by the labour unions most affected by the disengagement of our personnel namely  PENGASSAN, NUPENG, NARTO, PTD, and DAPPMA.  The union has resolved to recall its disengaged personnel for five days to give the Federal Government’s team the opportunity to conclude its process of paying marketers the full outstanding of N800 billion with the first tranche being the amount already approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC}.”

Mr. Adewole acknowledeged that their strike can cause economic hardship, social disruptions and even death of the sick had it  held: “The association has acted in good faith to avoid unnecessary hardship which could befall Nigerians during the Yuletide season and we hope that government would make good its promise to see that those issues are resolved.”

Other striking unions should consider discarding incessant strikes as  means to achieving their narrow goals  against the collective welbeing of all Nigerians.

Dambatta wrote this piece from Abuja