A group, Vanguard for Credible Representation (VCR) has called on President Bola Tinubu to proscribe the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) for disrupting the country’s economic stability.
It warned PENGASSAN, NUPENG, and associated bodies pursuit of “selfish agendas detrimental to national interest” could lead Nigerians to seek lawful redress beyond government intervention.
Its Executive Director, Akinloye Oyeniyi in a issued Monday urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the dispute over Dangote’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tankers for product distribution.
He expressed concern over tensions between Dangote Refinery, PENGASSAN and NUPENG on the refinery’s adoption of 4,000 CNG-powered tankers for distributing petrol and diesel – a move many hailed as pivotal to Nigeria’s energy transition and boosting operational efficiency.
Oyeniyi added: “We beseech Mr. President to deploy leadership and statesmanship on this matter now and should the unions fail to resolve the dispute amicably.
“We urge President Tinubu to consider invoking Section 1, Subsection 1 of the Trades Disputes (Essential Services) Act, empowering him to proscribe unions endangering essential services like petroleum, gas and power supplies. Nigeria will not tolerate actions endangering its economic jugular.”
The group noted that the threat of the Unions to disrupt petroleum, gas and energy security pose unacceptable risks to Nigeria’s stability and therefore not acceptable to us.
It added that Dangote Refinery’s investment in CNG-powered self-delivery policy, which triggered the latest problem, was not only crucial to Nigeria’s quest for energy self-sufficiency and employment, it also aligns with global decarbonisation trends.
It, therefore, called on Tinubu to mediate between Dangote Refinery and the unions, while balancing workers’ legitimate interests with national energy security and economic progress needs, warning that union intransigence might compel the President to invoke statutory powers to protect Nigeria’s citizens