The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas Workers has said that it will resist plans by the Federal
Government to privatise the country’s refineries.
The President, NUPENG, Mr. Achese Igwe,
said in a statement, “NUPENG takes serious exception to the comments
made by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani
Alison-Madueke, that the nation’s refineries must be privatised.
“The minister’s comments are uncalled
for, unnecessary and a mere diversion from the failure of the ministry
to address the problem of scarcity of petroleum products currently being
experienced in the country.
“NUPENG will resist any attempt by the
Federal Government to go back on the agreement signed with the unions on
January 7, 2014 in Abuja that the nation’s refineries will not be
privatised.”
It said that in a Memorandum of
Understanding signed at the end of the meeting, the two trade unions in
the oil and gas sector, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, agreed with the Federal
Government to engage in social dialogue to develop viable and workable
business models for the nation’s refineries.
The statement added, “The union makes
bold to say that billions of naira had been budgeted and purportedly
spent on the Turn Around Maintenance of the refineries with nothing to
show for it.
“We state that the refineries must be
rehabilitated to work optimally, which will account for at least 70 per
cent of domestic production, instead of selling the nation’s strategic
assets.”
NUPENG said the minister should
concentrate more on how the Petroleum Industry Bill could be passed so
that the oil and gas industry would be opened up for investors to come
in and establish more refineries and those already given licences would
be encouraged to come on board.
It stressed that the quick passage of
the Petroleum Industry Bill would ensure transparency and
accountability, and boost investors’ confidence, rather than allowing
the current massive importation of petroleum products, which a few
cabals were benefiting from at the expense of the nation.
The union said it believed that the
transparency agenda of the President on job creation should be enhanced
by allowing interested investors to set up private refineries.
