Nigeria to be hit with another Fuel Scarcity as NUPENG Threatens Strike

There is no doubt that the ultimatum given to the Federal Government by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers will expire on Wednesday, yet no agreement has been reached on the matter as at the time of this report. NUPENG has as a result threatened to embark on a nationwide strike with effect from Wednesday when a 72 hours ultimatum issued to the Federal Government is reached.

Mr. Elijah Okougbo, the General Secretary of NUPENG, said in a statement issued by the oil Union in Abuja on Sunday that the looming strike had to do with divergence views of both NUPENG and Federal government over loan obtained by Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners Association of Nigeria from some banks, to be able to meet the demand of fuel importation.

It was revealed that NUPENG had earlier demanded for the execution of a section of an agreement which it had with the Federal Government to permit JEPTFON, an auxiliary association, to pay back the loan in 15 years with three percent interest which the federal government has paid particular attention to.

The NUPENG number three man had avowed that the union was obliged to issue the ultimatum because the banks were pressurizing JEPTFON to pay back the loan despite the agreement reached with the Federal Government.

Okougbo affirmed that no further warning would be sent to the federal government before embarking on a nationwide strike

He said different umbrella associations of the union had been constrained as a result of this development and have sacked more than 100 of its staff in an attempt to pay back the loan, stating that since the 72-hour ultimatum, the Federal Government had not responded in any way.

He recalled that the union had made other efforts to call the attention of government agencies to their plight without success.

He disclosed that letters have been written to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, the National Security Adviser, the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and other important offices, yet no result has been achieved in relation to that.

He said, “If nothing is done to consider the satisfactory implementation of the committee reports, we will have no choice but to resume our suspended nationwide strike without further notice in order to save the livelihood of our members as injury to one is injury to all.”

NUPENG However appealed with to the populace to bear with them if it proceeds on strike.