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Oil theft: PENGASSAN, NUPENG give FG ultimatum to secure oil installations

By on July 6, 2013
NUPENG members

NUPENG members

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria,PENGASSAN, and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers,NUPENG, have issued 60-day-ultimatum to the Federal Government to fully secure all oil and gas installations, especially pipelines in the country.

The two bodies made the remark on Thursday after a Joint National Executive Council,NEC, meeting.

Working under the umbrella of NUPENGASSAN in Abuja, the oil workers said that, “In view of the obvious looming danger to the survival of the oil and gas industry and by extension, the nation’s economy which has become so endemic, with high sense of responsibility and patriotism, we have resolved to issue the Federal Government of Nigeria 60-day ultimatum to effectively and holistically address and find a lasting solution to this massive crude oil theft debacle.”

Presidents of PENGASSAN and NUPENG, Babatunde Ogun and Comrade Igwe Achese, condemned the seeming laxity of the Federal Government in tackling the menace of crude oil theft.
On his part, Achese, who is the Chairman of NUPENGASSAN, lamented that crude oil theft has reduced production of almost all the multinationals by “more than 60 per cent, leading to shortages, shut-in, high cost of operation, and threats to union members’ jobs and discouragement to investments.”

He alleged that there is high-level collaboration among the security agencies, politicians and highly placed Nigerians leading to serious crude oil theft.

Ogun, chairman of the joint body, in his remark noted that the increasing theft of crude oil and pipeline vandalisation might not be unconnected with the underfunding of the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies protecting the facilities.

He urged the Federal Government to provide adequate funding to support the agencies saddled with the responsibility of securing the country’s waterways.