NUPENG WARNS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DESIST FROM UNBUNDLING THE NNPC

NUPENG WARNS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DESIST FROM UNBUNDLING THE NNPC

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) express its disappointment and displeasure over the turn of events at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the unbundling into 30 companies without following due process by the Federal government.

The Union believes that this is an attempt to provoke the Oil and Gas workers and cause industrial unrest in the country.

NUPENG states that the restructuring in the Oil and Gas industry, especially the NNPC to achieve optimal performance cannot be gotten without due consultations with the Unions and stakeholders in the sector, or on a table of academic exercise.

The Union therefore condemns at the unilateral action of the Minister of State, Dr.Ibe Kachikwu, as the decision is not in consonance with the laws establishing the NNPC. It stresses that the unbundling and rebranding of NNPC as announced by the Minister of State is another public policy change which is not consistent with the Act and Laws establishing NNPC and that it will be resisted by Oil and Gas workers in the country.

The Union adds that the legality appropriateness and timelessness of this whole exercise is condemnable. It states that it will not tolerate a situation whereby the planned unbundled companies will now hide under the cover to start disengaging its workers.

The Union states that job creation and job security has been the change mantra of the current administration.

The Union reiterates that the move is to kill the NNPC by all means but that they should know that the Corporation is a creation of law and that it will take the repealing of the original Act to effect the changes that they are planning to do.

The Union states that those who want to destroy the oil and gas industry, want to destroy the country and call on President Buhari to call them to order.

The Union warns that it will not fold its hands and watch NNPC being fragmented into pieces with no clear objectives on how the present manpower will be managed, and to make NNPC perform better as an Oil and Gas company.

NUPENG frowns at a situation whereby the new companies will have 30 Managing Directors which will tend to be too wieldy and unmanageable.

NUPENG states that it will not condone a situation like the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) into fragmented companies which led to serious job losses that the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) is still battling with till today.

The Union warns that to forestall a major industrial crisis in the Oil and Gas industry that the Federal government should desist from going ahead with this policy change in NNPC to avoid the wrath of the workers in the sector.

As earlier advised, the Minister of Petroleum and the Commander-in-Chief of our great country should call all critical stakeholders, National Assembly, Stakeholder Unions, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, industry players to carry out a surgical operation in NNPC.

Comrade Joseph Ogbebor

Acting General Secretary