Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has asked the Federal Government to “think outside the box,’’ to end persistent fuel scarcity in Nigeria.
The union threatened to embark on another strike if any of its members is sacked in the oil sector.
The President of the union, Igwe Achese, told journalists in Lagos on Friday that government must take a bold step to resolve the energy crisis, which has afflicted Nigeria for decades.
“Government should realise that NNPC alone cannot be able to sustain petroleum supply in the country,’’ Achese stated.
He categorically warned that NUPENG would shut down the oil sector if petroleum marketers went ahead to sack their workers, referring to a threat by another oil sector union to lay off up to 10,000 workers.
Achese spoke to reporters after a meeting of NUPENG Elders Stakeholders, warned that that the union would respond to any threat to its members.
He said that NUPENG would be hugely affected if the grievances of oil marketers were not promptly addressed.
“The problem will not only affect workers but tanker drivers, hence if it happens, we will react to protect our members. We have always said that for fuel crisis to end in the country, our refineries must return to full steam. If we are importing that should only be a stop gap.”
The union leader appealed that a special thought be given to the option of modular refineries, stressing that government should ensure that those given licences commenced operations immediately.
