Fuel Scarcity Looms as NUPENG Commences Nationwide Strike

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, on Wednesday began its three-day nationwide warning strike over unresolved labour issues with multinationals operating in the oil and gas industry.

Rotimi Benjamin, the Vice-Chairman, South-West Zonal Council of the union, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the three nation’s refineries were not loading due to the strike.

Mr. Benjamin said that the situation remained the same in both private and NNPC depots in Lagos, adding that loading had been grounded due to the strike.

The vice-chairman said that the union had mobilised members to ensure that the strike achieves its purpose.

He said that the leadership of the union did not proceed on strike to make life difficult for the masses but to press home its demand.

Mr. Benjamin, however, said that the National Executive Council of the union were currently meeting with Federal Government representatives and international oil companies on the way forward.

He said the leadership of the union would address the public on whether to suspend the warning strike or to continue with it.

A correspondent who monitored the strike observed that all depots in Lagos were not loading petroleum products as a result of the strike.

Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) were seen discussing the strike in groups.

A tanker driver from Ekiti State, Oluwole Joseph, who came to load at NIPCO Depot in Apapa, said he thought the strike would not go on.

Mr. Joseph said that he thought the government would have met with the leadership of the union to resolve the issues.

He said that he hoped the strike would be suspended after Wednesday’s meeting with the union.

NUPENG, on December16, gave the Federal Government a notice of a three-day nation-wide warning strike from the second week of January 2017, over unresolved labour issues with multinationals operating in the oil and gas industry.

The President of the union, Igwe Achese, in a statement, said the decision was taken at the end of the NUPENG NEC meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He warned that the three-day warning strike was preparatory to a nation-wide strike, if there was no intervention by the Federal Government.

On December10, NUPENG concluded from its NEC meeting in Abuja to continue with the three-day warning strike starting from January 11.

(NAN)