Nigeria: oil workers shut down NNPC operations

Nigeria

Oil workers in Nigeria have shut down the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) nationwide following the unbundling of the corporation.

Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) took the decision after a meeting of the group Executive Councils in Abuja.

Media reports indicate that workers at the NNPC headquarters in Abuja were stopped from entering their offices on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu; had earlier announced that NNPC will soon be broken up into 30 profit-making companies.

President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese, said the unbundling process was not transparent.

The union reiterated that the move to unbundle the corporation was an attempt to provoke the oil and gas workers and cause industrial unrest in the country.

“We condemn the unilateral action of the Minister of State, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, as the decision is not in consonance with the laws establishing the NNPC.

“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 will be resisted by oil and gas workers in the country.”

Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Ohi Alegbe; confirmed that the protesting workers also denied him entry into his office.