Workers’ sack: Government must dialogue with oil marketers now
You recently held your National Executive Council (NEC); what were the issues raised ? Our deliberations had to do with the state of the nation and the role of NUPENG in nation building. We advised the Federal Government to look critically at the condition of our roads and quickly fix them. You will agree with […]
You recently held your National Executive Council (NEC); what were the issues raised ?
Our deliberations had to do with the state of the nation and the role of NUPENG in nation building. We advised the Federal Government to look critically at the condition of our roads and quickly fix them. You will agree with me that there is a large number of our tanker drivers who get products from Lagos and Port Harcourt on daily basis to move them to the North. Some of them spend days on the roads and sometimes are attacked by criminals. Stakeholders and elders of the union felt strongly that government must act now by repairing those roads.
On restructuring, NUPENG is in support of the Federal Government on restructuring, as well as creation of state police. To be honest, we are 100 per cent in support of the ongoing debate of restructuring and creation of state police.
We belief strongly that if the state police and the community police are created, it will go a long way to checkmate the current security challenges: herdsmen, kidnapping, armed robbery and other vices.
Also, posting policemen to riverine environments for instance, without them knowing how to operate in such environments portends danger.
On the persistent fuel scarcity; a country that depends solely on fuel importation will experience such. We have advised the NNPC and security agencies to take up the responsibility of checkmating illegal activities in the oil industry. We want to believe that without the support of the security agencies, it will be very easy to smuggle products outside the country.
We are also urging the NNPC and DPR to sit up and carry out their expected roles of checkmating illegal activities. On the state of the refineries, the NEC urged government to quickly put up the machinery that can make our refineries work again. The union has agreed to give full support to government in this regard.
Therefore, we are also appealing to those that have been issued licences on modular refineries to please move into action and see that these refineries are being established.
The NEC in council, after extensive deliberation on the current challenges Nigerian workers are facing, vis-à-vis the National Social Insurance Scheme (NSIS), said it is very unfortunate that the board is yet to be inaugurated to run the affair of NSITF.
Therefore, we are calling on the Federal Government to quickly inaugurate the board and give NSITF. Of course you will agree with me that workers pay their insurance scheme so they deserve to enjoy the rights and the benefits of NSITF.
The issue of the nation’s refineries seems to have become an albatross to government. Successive governments in Nigeria spent fortunes on this; yet no results. As a union what option do you think government can take?
When we talk about issues of repair of refineries, it is a critical issue. We are not just saying repair but rehabilitate; that is the key issue there because if you are going to rehabilitate, upgrading is inclusive. Upgrading the refineries to international standard is what we have been clamouring for.
Of course, you will agree with me that it is very unfortunate that we have been saying these over and over. We will continue to advise government about this. We won’t lose hope because Nigeria is a great country with its potentials. We have what it takes to build a new refinery. So, we will not stop talking about refineries. We will not stop talking about rehabilitation and upgrading of technology requirements of our refineries until they are done.
One would have expected your union to come out strongly against the current fuel scarcity in the country.
Some people have asked me why we are not protesting against the current strike that reared its ugly head since December, 2017. We are not protesting or going on strike because it is not the best time for the union to do so. Of course, we can also share the pains of Nigerians; what they are going through at this moment. We all know that things are hard. All what we can do at this period is to consistently draw government’s attention to the issue at stake until the refineries are back on stream. We must have functional refineries to meet our consumption. Any importation we are doing should only be to supplement our local refineries’ capacity; that is what we believe in.
What about the issue of corruption in NSITF?
We have raised series of alarm over the way and manner NSITF is being managed. About three or four years ago, we raised an alarm over challenges being faced by workers in accessing their funds and unaccountability of various sums. At a point, we took some decisions that workers should stop paying NSITF until we have a transparent way of managing the fund.
That is why it is very important and urgent for the Federal Government to inaugurate the board which it has named because we must hold people accountable.
Now that your tenure is ending, what do we expect?
We are soon going into an election that will bring in a new leadership. I will continue to give my support to take the union from where I will leave it to another level.