The Strike Was Suspended Not Called Off – PENGASSAN President

The President of the PENGASSAN has said that the industrial action embarked by the Union was suspended and not called off.

Mr Francis Johnson who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, said “A committee was set up to look at the issue. As at yesterday (Thursday), both PENGASSAN and NUPENG asked the committee to bring the names of their members so everything can be done transparently.”
The PENGASSAN President, however, gave reasons why the Union suspended the strike action.
“There was a communique issued, and in the communique there are some actions to be taken with timelines and time frame. We also need to see the sincerity and genuineness to be put in place so that everything can be done with transparency.


He urged for the government to review where we are, especially in an administration of accountability and transparency.

Answering a question on the cause of the strike, Mr Johnson said that the strike was as a result of the statement made by the Minister of State for Petroleum, (Dr. Ibe Kachikwu), about unbundling the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“The Minister, while addressing a particular forum, said that the government will unbundle NNPC, set up directorates and have about 30 companies.

“The Union stakeholders at no fora, were taken along on such development.
“The act setting up NNPC, was an act of parliament, for you to also do anything, the act must be repeated or modified, which has not been done by the National Assembly.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, on March 3, said that the NNPC would be unbundled into 30 competitive revenue generating subsidiaries in the coming week.
He made the disclosure at the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Mr Johnson, however, advised the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Kachikwu, to issue a journal stating that his statement on restructuring the NNPC was misunderstood.
“It is also good that Mr Kachikwu said that he was misunderstood. He should issue statement that it is not his intention to unbundle the NNPC,” he added.