By Joshua Egbodo
Abuja
As scarcity of petroleum products looms over a threat by oil workers to embark on strike, the oil and gas related committees of the House of Representatives committees have jointly summoned the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC), Dr. Joseph Dawa, and leadership of the oil workers’ unions in a bid to prevent a crisis.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) have issued the threat of some welfare-related issues.
The House committees, in a joint statement issued by the Chairman of Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Muraina Ajibola, Chairman, Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Dakuku Peterside and Chairman, Committee on Gas Resources, Bassey Ewa, said they would not allow any strike action to cripple the nation’s oil and gas sector.
They said: “The Joint Oil and Gas Committee of the House of Representatives is concerned by the strike action, as reported in the media, by staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
“Our concern is driven by the major role oil and gas plays in our economy; and the enormous damage any disruption in the system will entail for the Nigerian people.
“Alive to our constitutional responsibilities, the Joint House Committees on Oil and Gas have decided to intervene in this matter with a view to resolving whatever the issues may be.”
They added: “Accordingly, we have invited the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources and the affected unions and relevant stakeholders in the sector to a meeting for tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at the House of Representatives.
“Given the urgency of this matter, it is our hope that the relevant parties will attend this meeting.
“We enjoin the parties to work with us to resolve their differences in the overall interest of the nation.”
